Sector Focus
Copper, cobalt, gold and battery metals
Four value chains, each with its own technical constraints and commercial logic. This is where our work concentrates.
Sector
Copper
Concentrates, oxide heap leach, SX-EW cathode and the Central African Copperbelt value chain.
The value chain
- Exploration and resource definition on Copperbelt and satellite deposits
- Open pit and underground mining, ore sorting and blending
- Sulphide flotation to concentrate; oxide leach through SX-EW to cathode
- Smelting, refining, logistics to Durban, Walvis Bay, Beira and Dar es Salaam
Where Samitac adds value
- Plant recovery and reagent optimisation on flotation and leach circuits
- Ore-body to plant reconciliation and grade-control discipline
- Concentrate quality management against smelter penalty elements
- Offtake and TC/RC negotiation support with realistic netback modelling
Typical engagements
- Operational review of a 2 Mtpa sulphide concentrator
- SX-EW debottlenecking and acid-consumption study
- Concentrate marketing strategy and buyer shortlisting
Sector
Cobalt
Cobalt hydroxide and by-product cobalt from Copperbelt and DRC copper operations.
The value chain
- Cobalt recovery as a by-product of copper oxide and sulphide processing
- Purification, precipitation and hydroxide production
- Responsible-sourcing controls across artisanal and industrial supply
- Export logistics and refiner qualification
Where Samitac adds value
- Cobalt circuit design review and recovery improvement
- Product specification control and impurity management
- Responsible-sourcing and traceability frameworks for buyers
- Commercial terms benchmarking against payable cobalt indices
Typical engagements
- Hydroxide plant performance review and recovery uplift plan
- Supply-chain traceability design for a refiner-facing producer
Sector
Gold
Hard-rock and alluvial gold, from grade control through to doré and refinery placement.
The value chain
- Resource definition, grade control and mine scheduling
- Gravity, CIL/CIP and heap leach processing routes
- Doré production, security controls and refinery relationships
- Export permitting and central-bank interaction where applicable
Where Samitac adds value
- Metallurgical test-work interpretation and process route selection
- Recovery and gold-accounting audits across the plant balance
- Small and mid-scale plant design review and commissioning support
- Refinery placement and pricing arrangements
Typical engagements
- CIL plant recovery and gold-accounting review
- Technical study for a staged 500 tpd gold expansion
Sector
Battery Metals
Nickel, lithium, manganese and graphite — the fastest-moving part of the African resource base.
The value chain
- Deposit assessment and product-specification definition
- Concentration, beneficiation and downstream conversion options
- Qualification with cathode, anode and converter customers
- ESG, permitting and community frameworks required by offtakers
Where Samitac adds value
- Product specification and customer-qualification pathways
- Beneficiation versus concentrate-export trade-off analysis
- Capital and operating cost benchmarking for study work
- Offtake and prepayment structuring with technical due diligence support
Typical engagements
- Spodumene concentrate flowsheet and product-spec review
- Manganese beneficiation options study for an export operation
Working in one of these value chains?
Send us the commodity, the stage and the problem. We will respond with a proposal covering approach, team and fees.