Bafoulabe Limestone: a Malian source of quicklime for gold mines.
Quicklime is a core reagent in gold processing, and the mines of western Mali import it. Smartek Solutions managed the project from permit to completed development study.
The 5.6 Mt figure is a geological estimate filed with Mali’s Ministry of Mines; it is not a JORC or NI 43-101 estimate.
The opportunity
Make in Mali a reagent the mines import.
Launched in 2018, the project set out to prove a limestone deposit in the Bafoulabe region and to produce industrial quicklime there, as the local supplier to gold processing plants.
Why quicklime
Gold processing plants use it continuously to control the pH of their circuits. Without lime, a plant stops. Today this reagent arrives from abroad along long road corridors.
The case for a local source
- Proximity. The deposit is close to the gold mines of Mali and Guinea; the preferred road links Bafoulabe to the Kéniéba gold district via Kayes, about 370 km.
- Ore quality. Calcination tests produced quicklime at about 80% CaO.
- Local content. A reagent made in Mali by a Malian supply chain meets the expectations of the 2023 Local Content Act.
- Derived products. Part of the limestone suits cement making and agricultural lime, which is needed on acid soils.
Target buyers
First the gold mines of western Mali, then the other operations in the region, in Mali, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.
What we are looking for
- Investors and lenders to finance the plant
- Operators ready to discuss a local supply arrangement
- Industrial partners for the derived products
Status
Completed development study, awaiting financing.
Completed study
The exploration permit is held by GEOTEK SARL. Smartek Solutions is the project manager.
- Geological exploration led by a tier-one gold producer
- Calcination tests carried out in China with the EPC contractor selected for a turnkey plant
- Logistics and market studies and risk analysis completed
What Bafoulabe Limestone shows
Beyond supply, we can bring an operator, a permit holder, an engineering contractor and a market together, and carry a local-content project through to an investable case.
Geology
Drilling and modelling across the permit targets: reserve defined and suitability for quicklime confirmed.
Process
Samples calcined in China; technical and commercial proposal obtained for a 75 tpd plant.
Logistics
Three road options to the mining district assessed; the route via Kayes is recommended, with 132 km to be repaired.
Market
Market study, strengths-and-weaknesses review and risk analysis completed.
EPC partner and tests in China
The process was tested at the plant builder’s works.
Smartek took the limestone samples to China for calcination tests at Henan Zhengzhou Mining Machinery Co., Ltd, the EPC contractor selected for a turnkey quicklime plant. The tests were run in July 2023 and led to a technical and commercial proposal for a 75 tpd plant.
Photos taken during Smartek’s visit to the EPC contractor.
Access to the study
Request the study (under NDA)
The full study is shared with mining operators, industrial partners and qualified investors after signature of a non-disclosure agreement.
Are you an operator? Let’s discuss a local quicklime supply arrangement linked to the project.
Request the study (under NDA)
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Subject: Smartek · Bafoulabe Limestone study (under NDA)
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