"They've got a total heavy mineral content in them, which is ilmenite, rutile, zircon, " he explains.

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Commodities currently mined in the region include nickel, cobalt, platinum group metals, zinc, iron ore, and ilmenite, as well as gold.

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One of the pilot sites for the developing the NPI approach is the Rio Tinto QMM ilmenite ore mining operation in Madagascar.

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