Germanium recovery from Fargo Oil's Lang Bay property

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 79, No. 886, 1986

P.B. QUENEAU, Hazen Research, Inc., Golden, Colorado, PETER V. AVOTINS, American Cyanamid Company, Stamford, Connecticut, LAUGH F. FARRIS, Fargo Oil Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia

The Lang Bay germanium property is a carbonaceous sandstone deposit outcropping near the Pacific coast, 100 km north of Vancouver. The germanium-bearing seams are up to 5 m thick. Where one such seam outcrops, it averages 50 to 60 g Ge/tonne. Drill core analyses have shown considerably greater concentrations of germanium at depth. Additional drilling to establish continuity and grade of the germanium-bearing strata is scheduled for 1986. The germanium occurs in association with lignite, which makes up 1 to 2% of the seam. American Cyunamid Company engineers have developed a proprietary flotation reagent effective for concentrating the germanium-rich vitrain portion of the Lang Bay lignite. Ongoing laboratory studies are developing procedures for further upgrading and refining of this germanium. This paper outlines progress made by Fargo Oil Corporaton on Lang Bay geology, reserve estimation, mine planning, ore dressing, refining, and economic evaluation.

Mots Clés: Rare metals, Recovery, Exploration, Geology, Mineralogy, Extractive metallurgy, Hydrometallurgy, Germanium, Gallium, Coal, Oil agglomeration, Flotation, Lang Bay