I contacted BraeMore Resources this afternoon, the developer of the ConRoast technology, and asked about the applicability of ConRoast smelting to PGM enriched chromite ore.

Their reply is that "The process is chrome insensitive but chrome is not recoverable from slags". The process is applicable to the recovery of Pt, Au, 'iums, Ni, Cu, Co etc from sulphur rich PGM ore that has Chromite in it where you are not concerned about recovering the chromite. For example it might be applicable to the hanging wall Pt zone that has minimal Chromite value. It would not be applicable the main chromite zones where the main ore value is the chromite value unless the two are seperated by another process prior to smelting.

To get the PGM's out of the main chromite orebody you would have to mill the material very finely and float off the PGM slurry. The PGM slurry would have to be treated via the above ConRoast process (if there is more than ~10% chromite in the PGM concentrate) and the chromite ore smelted separately in another smelter. The economics of this would depend on the PGM values per tonne of Chromite ore .

I imagine that part of the metallurgical work that Cliff's is doing in the ROF is looking at the possibility of the above.

... Been There