Triton Minerals to develop Ancuabe graphite mine

The Australian mining company Triton Minerals, which holds the rights to graphite and vanadium deposits in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, announced on Tuesday that it is to focus on developing its graphite deposits at Ancuabe.The deposit is expected to be the source of premium graphite flakes. Triton states that “initial flotation test work of Ancuabe material has returned some of the highest concentrations of jumbo and super jumbo flake graphite ever recorded from East Africa”.The mine has the additional benefit of being only fifty kilometres away from the port of Pemba.According to the Triton, the company intends to become “a graphite concentrate producer of global significance over the next twelve months, underpinned by its world-class graphite assets in Mozambique”.Triton also has a graphite and vanadium asset at Balama North which it describes as “world class”. However, the statement makes clear that in 2016 the focus will be on Ancuabe.Graphite is a form of carbon which is highly priced due to its properties as a conductor of electricity. It is used in batteries and fuel cells, and is the basis for the “miracle material” graphene, which is the strongest material ever measured, with vast potential for use in the electronics industries.