Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:59 AM on Tuesday, March 19th, 2019
SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc. (TSX-V: NAM) owns one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in Sudbury, Canada. Learn More.
Palladium hits record high above $1,600/oz on plans for Russia export ban
Palladium hit its highest ever on Tuesday,
crossing the $1,600 an ounce mark for the first time as news that
Russia is planning to ban exports of precious metals scrap fuelled
concerns over an already supply-constrained market.
By Arijit Bose March 19 (Reuters) – Palladium hit its highest ever on
Tuesday, crossing the $1,600 an ounce mark for the first time as news
that Russia is planning to ban exports of precious metals scrap fuelled
concerns over an already supply-constrained market. Spot palladium was
up 0.7 percent at $1,594.08 an ounce at 1231 GMT, having hit a record
high of $1,606 earlier in the session. “There have been rumours that
Russia would restrict exports of some scrap materials. When the market
is as tight as palladium is, sometimes such news can take on more
significance than it should,” said Philip Newman, a director at Metals
Focus. “It comes back to the fact that you have an underlined tight
market, where demand is far outstripping global supply.” Russia’s trade
and industry ministry last week said the proposed ban on exports of
precious metals scrap and tailings would last from May 1 to Oct. 31.
Russia is a major producer of palladium, which is used mainly in
catalytic converters.
News that China, the world’s biggest auto market, will enforce
stimulus measures to boost its tiring economy has also helped the case
for the metal, analysts said. Commerzbank attributed the spike in
palladium prices to speculative buying interest.
Prices have nearly doubled since their mid-August lows and have already surged about 27 percent this year.
Meanwhile, gold held firm above the key psychological $1,300 level as
expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will strike a dovish tone on
interest rates at its policy meeting this week kept the dollar under
pressure. Gold, which bears no yield, tends to suffer when interest
rates are rising.
Spot gold gained 0.4 percent to $1,308.48, while U.S. gold futures
were 0.6 percent higher at $1,308.80. “The dollar is under a little bit
of pressure, providing some support to the metal,” Capital Economics
analyst Ross Strachan said. Indicative of investor sentiment, holdings
of the SPDR Gold Trust , the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded
fund, rose about 1.1 percent on Monday, their biggest one-day
percentage gain since Jan. 18. “The yellow metal has been on a very
positive trajectory over the last six months as central banks have
become notably more dovish around the globe and the dollar has hit a
ceiling,” OANDA said in a note. “With the global economic outlook a
cause for concern, the environment looks very favourable for gold.”
Among other precious metals, silver shed 0.5 percent to $15.37 per
ounce, while platinum gained 1.8 percent to $844.83 per ounce, having
hit its highest since March 4 at $848.38, earlier in the session.
Tags: CSE, green energy, lithium], stocks Posted in All Recent Posts, New Age Metals | Comments Off on New Age Metals Inc. $NAM.ca – Palladium hits record high above $1,600/oz on plans for Russia export ban $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN
Iconic Minerals has three highly prospective Lithium exploration
properties located in Nevada, the Bonnie Claire Sarcobatus Valley
Lithium property, the Smith Valley Creek Property, and the Third Nevada
Lithium Property.
Bonnie Claire Property
Property Overview
11.8 Billion pounds of lithium carbonate equivalent (28.5 Million tonnes of LCE) Inferred Resource (43-101).
Potential to be the largest lithium resource globally (based on size)
Bonnie Claire is a 100% owned lithium brine property comprising of
23,100 acres of contiguous placer claims, currently in control of 28.75
square miles (75 km2) located in Nye County, Nevada.
Property area is contained within a valley that is 60kms from the
only producing lithium mine in North America (Albermarle Silver Peak
Mine).
Over +20 miles (+30 km) long and 12 miles (20 km) wide into which streams from an +800 mi2 (2,070 km2) drainage basin empty.
Sampling of salt flats within the basin, have found lithium values in salt samples yielding up to 340 ppm.
Current claim block covers the gravity low and associated mud flats
that could be used for evaporation ponds if significant lithium brines
are discovered in drilling.
Preliminary NI 43-101 Technical Report completed Read More
A total 5,550 feet has been drilled at the Bonnie Claire with an average 963+ppm from four drill holes
Great infrastructure
Local end-users
Property Details Snapshot
Drainage Basin (20 x 30 kms)
830 square miles
Gravity Lows (length)
20 x 30 kms
Valley Sediment (Range)
460 – 610m (1,500 to 2,000ft)
BLM Drilling Permits
Drilling Program
Drilling completion of first of three test wells
Smith Creek Valley Property
Controls 808 placer claims totaling 25.25 square miles (65.4 km2) over a major gravity low.
The enclosed Smith Creek Valley Basin covers 582 square miles (1,507
km2), which is slightly larger than Clayton Valley Basin where lithium
brines are produced.
Smith Creek Valley is over +40 miles (+64 km) long in a north-northeast direction and averages 9 miles (14.5 km) in width.
The vast majority of rock weathering into the basin is felsic ash flow tuff, which is an excellent source of lithium.
Lithium Brine Benefits
Lower Cost Exploration
Easy access because flat and arid
Decreased environmental impact
Shorter Timeline to Production
Requires Less Capital
Lower Cost Production than bedrock
Found beneath salt flats in brine bearing aquifers
Easily pumped to Surface from vertical production well
After evaporation lithium recovered in small on site mill
Potassium may also be recovered
Nevada is a Geopolitically Stable Jurisdiction
Gold Projects
The company’s Gold exploration portfolio includes the Hercules
property in the Como mining district, 17 kms from the famous Comstock
Lode mine, the New Pass property in the New Pass mining district, and
the Squaw Creek property located in the northern area of the Carlin
Trend.
Situated within and on the margins of the Como mining district, located in Lyon County, Nevada.
Como district was worked as early as the late 1850s, before the
famous Comstock Lode deposit was discovered about 10 miles (16 km.) to
the north by prospectors following float upstream from placer gold
deposits at Dayton.
By the early 1860’s the Como district was abandoned due to the rich
lodes having been discovered at Virginia City (Russell, 1981).
In the late 1880’s the Hercules Mining Company explored the occurred
with the excavation of another 1,500 feet (450 m) of underground
workings.
Gold and silver property which, is comprised of 107 unpatented lode mining claims (2,231 acres).
The property is located in eastern Churchill County, Nevada; in the
New Pass Mining District, 27 miles west of Austin, Nevada and 105 miles
east of Reno.
Iconic Minerals has a controlling interest in the property, in a
joint venture with White Knight Gold U.S. Inc., (now U.S. Gold), with
Iconic earning a 50% interest.
Property is located 42 miles due north
of Battle Mountain, Nevada and lies between the Midas and Ivanhoe mining
districts on the northern portion of the Carlin Trend, six miles north
of the Dee Mine in the Lower Plate Bootstrap Window.
Iconic’s Research and Development partner
St-Georges’ metallurgists report that they
have successfully improved the concentration of lithium in the
Sediments, originally reported in December using mechanical separation
and selective leaching of other elements within the Sediments.
The additional tests St-Georges completed
in Stage 2, through selective leaching methods, have improved the
elimination of barren material from 55% to 85%-88%, while retaining 100%
of the lithium.
Upon completion approximately 12% to 15%
of the original material remains for further processing and
purification. This process may significantly reduce the cost of
production.
Lithium also leachable by water
FULL DISCLOSURE: Iconic Minerals is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:45 PM on Sunday, March 17th, 2019
SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc.
(TSX-V: NAM) The company’s new Lithium Division has already made
significant acquisitions in Canada and the USA. The company also owns
one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in
Sudbury, Canada. Learn More.
Huge demand for copper, cobalt, lithium and nickel in the offing as EV uptake increases
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Contract Publishing and Sales
Investors focused on the mining
sector may not fully appreciate how quickly the electric vehicle (EV)
is being adopted globally, in light of the world pursuing a low-carbon
emissions future, says battery metals investment vehicle Cobalt 27 Capital chairperson and CEO Anthony Milewski, who warns of a potential deficit in the supply of the metals critical to achieving this future.
Global management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company says 2017
marked the first time EV sales passed the one- million mark, noting in
May 2018 that, by 2020, EV producers could be moving 4.5- million units,
about 5% of the overall global light-vehicle market.
Also presenting at this year’s MiningIndaba was nickel-focused development vehicle Consolidated Nickel Mines (CNM) CEO Simon Purkiss, who provided an update on the restarting of the company’s Munali nickel mine, in southern Zambia.
Purkiss points to EV growth being an important factor in nickel’s
demand-side development, noting a rapid increase in EV uptake, with financialservices company Credit Suisse predicting EV growth to 3.1- million units by 2021 and 14.2-million units by 2025.
CNM identified Munali, where operations
stopped in November 2011, owing to low nickel prices and poor
operational performance by the previous owners, as key to its
consolidation of nickel prospects in Southern Africa.
Purkiss told delegates that financing of the restart was complete and,
with the mine ramping up and the process plant being commissioned, first
concentrates were expected in February and were on track to being
transported to one of the nickel and copper smelters in the Southern Africa Development Community region in the first quarter of this year.
Purkiss says project economics were improved by changing the mining
method, revising the metallurgical process and optimising the labour
structure. Munali will produce low-cost nickel concentrate at $9 200/t
of nickel, while, in the long term, CNM expects lower-cost nickel
sulphate production of $5 000/t.
The company predicts global nickel stocks will decline until a
trigger point is reached, at which time restocking will take place.
Subsequently, says Purkiss, nickel prices will start rising, probably
rapidly, and nickel pig iron production will restart, but only to fill
Chinese stainless-steel demand, which will still be limited.
Purkiss’s presentation also emphasises an increasing amount of nickel content in lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) batteries, adding that nickel input primarily sourced from sulphides is a declining supply source.
Supporting his statement, a report on the lithium-ion battery market by Dublin-based market researcher Research & Markets foresees the market for NMC growing at a higher compound annual growth rate over 2018 to 2024.
EVs require high capacity and high power that can only be provided by using the NMC
battery type, says the researcher. “The use of new electrolytes and
additives support the charging of a cell up to 4.4 V/cell. The NMC cell is growing in its range as the three components involved are easy to blend together and can be made useful for a range of applications, from the automotive industry to energystoragesystems.â€
The lithium-ion battery market is estimated to grow exponentially
from $37.4-billion in 2018 to $92.2-billion by 2024. Research &
Markets attributes the growth of the market not only to increased demand
for plug-in vehicles but also to the growing need for automation and battery-operated materials- handling equipment, the increasing demand for smart devices and other industrial goods, and the high requirement of lithium-ion batteries for various industrial applications.
“However, factors such as safety issues related to storage and the transport of spent batteries hinder the market growth,†adds Research and Markets.
Nonetheless, Milewski is adamant that the level of activity in the EV
battery metals space is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’, with the broader
uptake of EVs yet to be fully realised.
He says demand for cobalt really depends on EV penetration. A material increase in the production of cobalt, a by-product of copper and nickel mining, is foreseen once demand for the metal more than doubles when EVs account for 15% of the world’s car sales.
“Cobalt 27, which owns the world’s largest private stockpile of physical cobalt,
is positioned to take advantage of the early stages of the battery
metals upcycle, where large- scale base metals producers are actively
seeking to leverage by-product metals, such as cobalt, to fund mine expansion and repay debt using alternative, nondilutive sources of capital,†he tells Mining Weekly.
Officially, 105 000 t of cobalt is supplied globally, but Milewski says the unofficial figure is closer to between 115 000 t and 125 000 t of cobalt. This discrepancy, he says, is due to production being skewed by supply from undocumented artisanal mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where as much as 70% to 75% of the world’s cobalt is produced.
“With 98% of global cobalt supply a relatively small by-product of nickel and coppermining, one of Cobalt 27’s core principles is to invest in geopolitically stable jurisdictions outside the DRC. We believe the primary issue facing cobalt supply is the major concentration of cobalt reserves and production in the DRC, and the underlying human rights, environmental issues and political uncertainty associated with the country,†he adds.
The ethical sourcing of cobalt from the DRC continues to challenge the sector’s supply chain,
with Milewski highlighting the significant challenges faced by industry
participants in their attempts to promote the adoption of solutions that may be highly impractical in terms of the DRCbusinessenvironment. Although, he adds, not all artisanal mining is bad, addressing the operations that are unethical will take years and large amounts of money.
A second challenge artisanal mining poses to the growth of the EV market involves the environmentally unfriendly mining methods practised, contradicting the intentions of early EV adopters: people concerned about the environment. However, other metals, such as lithium, whose mining process is highly reliant on water, also face challenges. “Each commodity has its own set of particular challenges,†adds Milewski.
Supply and Demand
As the electrification story unfolds, in 2025 and beyond, this sector could account for between 13% and 15% of the current copper market. “This is a massive demand, relative to the size of the copper market. Electrification is the much bigger story, as batteries will make energy
much more accessible, but the type of battery used is dependent on the
application and metals available to specific countries,†notes Milewski.
Market research specialist BMI Research last year forecast global copper
output to climb from 23.4-million tonnes in 2018 to 29.9-million tonnes
by 2027, averaging yearly growth of 2.7%. The global refined copper balance was also forecast to register a deficit of 251 000 t in 2018 and remain undersupplied through 2023.
In terms of nickel, BMI Research expects global yearly production to
reach 2.9-million tonnes by 2027, according to its ‘Strategic Metals and
Rare Earths Market Outlook – Q32018’ report.
Milewski says the size of the copper and nickel markets will continue to dwarf that of cobalt, predicting greater focus on investment and development around these metals.
However, he sees a lag in satisfying the need for these “future metals†and building the mines required to fulfil that need.
The issue is not whether there are enough of these metals in the
ground, but whether funding is being made available to miners for the
development of the operations necessary to meet future demand. Other than diversified miner Rio Tinto or Australian mining giant BHP, “I can’t think of any other mining company that has developed a mine recently for over $2-billionâ€, states Milewski.
Noting that capital markets are generally efficient, he says directors can make their miningprojects
look as attractive as possible, but “if the markets are closed, they
are closedâ€. Higher commodity prices could, however, spur investment in
the cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel markets, Milewski adds.
Sadly, with two-thirds of the world’s cobalt originating from coppermining in the DRC, where cobalt was declared a strategic metal last year, a supply surge from the country has resulted in a price slump. Subsequently, some major miners, such as Glencore, have implemented cost-cutting procedures to compensate for the two-year low. At its Mutanda mine, Glencore has retrenched workers and decided against renewing contracts with external contractors.
The suspension at ERG’s Boss Mining comes at a time of strained relations between the DRC and investors after the nation last year introduced a 10% levy on cobalt exports, owing to cobalt’s strategic metal status.
Future metals have the attention of investors, as they primarily impact the low-carbon future and awareness is growing among mining companies of the benefit of aligning with the delivery of a low-carbon emissions future, with Glencore, for example, over the last year having adjusted its marketing message, says Milewski.
“Where mining companies are able to raise money presently is in this space,†he explains, adding that Rio Tinto is also looking into low-carbon-emission-metals- related projects.
Copper, cobalt,
lithium and nickel are the core metals that will be impacted on by the
pursuit of the world’s low-carbon-emissions future and whether other
metals will join the story, only time will tell. Besides these
mainstream metals, Milewski highlights interest in graphene, vanadium
and certain zinc chemistries. “These metals are sitting on the sidelines
and only time will tell if the technology will develop to grow their demand,†he concludes.
The company based its prediction on the uptake of EVs locally
matching the global average, which it says will account for up to 11% of
all new-car sales in 2025.
“Actual EV car sales have far outpaced expectations and are going to have a tremendous impact on the demand for materials such as copper, cobalt, lithium and nickel,†says Milewski. Having recently spoken at the Investing in African MiningIndaba conference, which was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, in South Africa’s Western Cape, from February 4 to 7, Milewski highlights that most conversations at the event were around these metals.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:54 PM on Thursday, February 28th, 2019
NOTICE: Iconic Minerals – Fox Business Network – Thursday, February 28, 2019
The Company would like to give notice to its shareholders that the Company’s CEO (Richard Kern) will be featured on national Fox Business Network on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 9:46 PM Eastern, 8:46 PM Central, 7:46 PM Mountain and 6:46 PM Pacific Time.
In this five minute segment, Richard Kern will be providing comments on
the lithium industry while onsite in Nevada, at the Bonnie Claire
property.
Please keep in mind that the allotted time slot may not be exact, and
the segment could air within an hour of the above scheduled times.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:27 PM on Thursday, February 28th, 2019
(TSXV: ICM) (OTC Pink: BVTEF) (FSE: YQGB)
Why Iconic Minerals?
Bonnie Claire Lithium property hosts 11.8 Billion pounds of lithium carbonate equivalent (28.5 Million tonnes of LCE) Inferred Resource (43-101).
Potential to be the largest lithium resource globally (based on size)
Initial leaching tests applying dilute acid to the drill cuttings resulted in recoveries as high as 98%.
Two other highly prospective Lithium exploration properties also located in Nevada.
Lithium Projects
Iconic Minerals has three highly prospective Lithium exploration
properties located in Nevada, the Bonnie Claire Sarcobatus Valley
Lithium property, the Smith Valley Creek Property, and the Third Nevada
Lithium Property.
Bonnie Claire Property
Property Overview
11.8 Billion pounds of lithium carbonate equivalent (28.5 Million tonnes of LCE) Inferred Resource (43-101).
Potential to be the largest lithium resource globally (based on size)
Bonnie
Claire is a 100% owned lithium brine property comprising of 23,100
acres of contiguous placer claims, currently in control of 28.75 square
miles (75 km2) located in Nye County, Nevada.
Property
area is contained within a valley that is 60kms from the only producing
lithium mine in North America (Albermarle Silver Peak Mine).
Over +20 miles (+30 km) long and 12 miles (20 km) wide into which streams from an +800 mi2 (2,070 km2) drainage basin empty.
Sampling of salt flats within the basin, have found lithium values in salt samples yielding up to 340 ppm.
Current
claim block covers the gravity low and associated mud flats that could
be used for evaporation ponds if significant lithium brines are
discovered in drilling.
Preliminary NI 43-101 Technical Report completed Read More
A total 5,550 feet has been drilled at the Bonnie Claire with an average 963+ppm from four drill holes
Great infrastructure
Local end-users
Property Details Snapshot
Drainage Basin (20 x 30 kms)
830 square miles
Gravity Lows (length)
20 x 30 kms
Valley Sediment (Range)
460 – 610m (1,500 to 2,000ft)
BLM Drilling Permits
Drilling Program
Drilling completion of first of three test wells
Smith Creek Valley Property
Controls 808 placer claims totaling 25.25 square miles (65.4 km2) over a major gravity low.
The enclosed Smith Creek Valley Basin covers 582 square miles (1,507
km2), which is slightly larger than Clayton Valley Basin where lithium
brines are produced.
Smith Creek Valley is over +40 miles (+64 km) long in a north-northeast direction and averages 9 miles (14.5 km) in width.
The vast majority of rock weathering into the basin is felsic ash flow tuff, which is an excellent source of lithium.
Lithium Brine Benefits
Lower Cost Exploration
Easy access because flat and arid
Decreased environmental impact
Shorter Timeline to Production
Requires Less Capital
Lower Cost Production than bedrock
Found beneath salt flats in brine bearing aquifers
Easily pumped to Surface from vertical production well
After evaporation lithium recovered in small on site mill
Potassium may also be recovered
Nevada is a Geopolitically Stable Jurisdiction
Gold Projects
The company’s Gold exploration portfolio includes the Hercules
property in the Como mining district, 17 kms from the famous Comstock
Lode mine, the New Pass property in the New Pass mining district, and
the Squaw Creek property located in the northern area of the Carlin
Trend.
Situated within and on the margins of the Como mining district, located in Lyon County, Nevada.
Como district was worked as early as the late 1850s, before the
famous Comstock Lode deposit was discovered about 10 miles (16 km.) to
the north by prospectors following float upstream from placer gold
deposits at Dayton.
By the early 1860’s the Como district was abandoned due to the rich
lodes having been discovered at Virginia City (Russell, 1981).
In the late 1880’s the Hercules Mining Company explored the occurred
with the excavation of another 1,500 feet (450 m) of underground
workings.
Gold and silver property which, is comprised of 107 unpatented lode mining claims (2,231 acres).
The property is located in eastern Churchill County, Nevada; in the
New Pass Mining District, 27 miles west of Austin, Nevada and 105 miles
east of Reno.
Iconic Minerals has a controlling interest in the property, in a
joint venture with White Knight Gold U.S. Inc., (now U.S. Gold), with
Iconic earning a 50% interest.
Property
is located 42 miles due north of Battle Mountain, Nevada and lies
between the Midas and Ivanhoe mining districts on the northern portion
of the Carlin Trend, six miles north of the Dee Mine in the Lower Plate
Bootstrap Window.
Iconic’s Research and Development partner
St-Georges’
metallurgists report that they have successfully improved the
concentration of lithium in the Sediments, originally reported in
December using mechanical separation and selective leaching of other
elements within the Sediments.
The
additional tests St-Georges completed in Stage 2, through selective
leaching methods, have improved the elimination of barren material from
55% to 85%-88%, while retaining 100% of the lithium.
Upon
completion approximately 12% to 15% of the original material remains
for further processing and purification. This process may significantly
reduce the cost of production.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:50 PM on Wednesday, February 6th, 2019
SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc.
(TSX-V: NAM) The company’s new Lithium Division has already made
significant acquisitions in Canada and the USA. The company also owns
one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in
Sudbury, Canada. Learn More.
Honda secures battery supply contract for about 1 million electric vehicles with CATL
Honda hasn’t been one of the most active automakers when it comes to electrification, but it is now making some big moves,
securing a battery cell supply contract for about 1 million electric vehicles with CATL, one of the largest battery manufacturers in the world.
Yesterday in Tokyo, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL)
and Honda signed “a cooperation agreement to formally cooperate to
develop electric vehicles for the future market.â€
The two companies had already been working together.
Naosumi Tada, head of CATL’s Japanese subsidiary, commented:
“Customer-centered is the philosophy that CATL has always insisted
on. We hope that we can establish more efficient communication channels,
more timely response mechanisms, and establish a closer relationship
for further cooperation. Honda and CATL have been worked
closely on advanced and reliable battery solutions for Honda’s future
electric vehicle applications. In the future, we will support Honda not
only in China, Japan, but also to create world-leading electric vehicles that serves global consumers.â€
Now as part of the new agreement, CATL is guaranteeing Honda a supply of “about 56 GWh of lithium-ion EV batteries before 2027.â€
Based on an average battery pack size of 55 kWh, it would be enough batteries to produce about 1 million electric vehicles.
When it comes to all-electric vehicles, Honda doesn’t have much going
on right now, but they plan to change that starting at the end of this
year with their first new standalone all-electric vehicle.
As for CATL, it is rapidly becoming an important player in the EV space.
CATL is primarily using LiFePo and NCM chemistries in prismatic cell
formats and their batteries have been mostly going to electric bus
production and plug-in hybrids. But they have been expanding their reach
lately and announced several new battery factories to support major
automakers.
It may sound like a lot, but the way I read the statement, it sounds
like 56 GWh through 2027, which means an average of 7 GWh secured per
year over the next 8 years.
That’s not really a lot.
Tesla is already consuming at a rate of over 25 GWh of battery cells
per year for its vehicles and it is expected to rapidly increase over
the next few years.
Therefore, it’s a big investment for Honda relative to what they have
been doing in the space before, but it’s not really aggressive compared
to other players in the space.
Hopefully, we see them securing more contracts to support more ambitious EV programs.
Tags: green energy, lithium], stocks Posted in New Age Metals | Comments Off on New Age Metals Inc. $NAM.ca – Honda secures battery supply contract for about 1 million electric vehicles with CATL $LIC.ca $LIX.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:52 AM on Wednesday, January 30th, 2019
Update on Lithium Extraction Technology Provisional Patent
In the Company last press release, the text regarding the provisional patent filed under the name ‘Method of Mineral Recovery’ was incomplete as it omitted important elements of the innovation claim contained in St-Georges provisional filing.
The portion of the text related to lithium extraction technology refers solely to the prior art on which the St-Georges innovation and new patent evolves from.
It covers a portion of stage 1, the concentration phase, and is being improved upon.
Montreal, Quebec / January 30, 2019 – St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (CSE: SX)(OTC: SXOOF) (FSE: 85G1) would like to provide important information in regards to the provisional patent filing mention in its January 20, 2019 press release and pertaining to its lithium extraction technology initiatives.
In the Company last press release, the text regarding the provisional patent filed under the name ‘Method of Mineral Recovery’ was incomplete as it omitted important elements of the innovation claim contained in St-Georges provisional filing.
The portion of the text
related to lithium extraction technology refers solely to the prior art
on which the St-Georges innovation and new patent evolves from. It
covers a portion of stage 1, the concentration phase, and is being
improved upon.
This prior art comes from United States Patent 4098687, Published 07/04/1978 and titled ‘Beneficiation of lithium ores by froth flotation’. This patent is now in the public domain.
(…),
the lithium values fraction of lithium-containing ores is floated from
gangue slimes, preferably without the use of a desliming step, by a
froth flotation process wherein an aqueous pulp of the ore is treated
with a conditioning reagent which improves the selectivity of anionic
collectors to spodumene and other lithium values. … The conditioning
reagent is added to and thoroughly mixed with the ore pulp before the
pulp is subjected to conventional froth flotation in the presence of an
anionic collector as the flotation agent (…)” (Extracts of the historical patent)
Although there are important
differences in our approach, mainly by initially reducing the amount of
material to be froth floated by 55% by adding a prior concentration
step using a method of air classification and the fact that we are using
this similar approach to treat clays and fines, it is important to
point out that the concentration is not our innovation core claim.
The Provisional Patent Innovation Claim
The
keys to the invention are using water saturated with silicate salts or
other similar substitutes with reagents that make the lithium be
attracted to air for successful flotation. Clay materials that are
superfine generally do not concentrate well in water. The combination of
nitric acid leach with a controlled dosage of citric acid with
saturated salt solution for froth flotation has not been done together
previously.
St-Georges has been working
on low-grade ores in super fines form. These resources are often as
difficult to leach as traditional hard rock resources. In the
development, the R&D is being carried on two fronts: concentrating
with improvements on prior art and leaching with our research team to
avoid high-temperature and high-pressure vessels and eliminating the
need to roast or calcine the material in order to reduce costs.
The provisional patent filed
cover prior art to concentrate low-grade lithium resources with
St-Georges technology to leach without pressure or high-temperature and
avoid leaching materials that traditionally leach easily with H2SO4 and
HCl that enter the circuit as impurities. This selective leaching
process allows the reduction of waste materials and neutralization
efforts.
Our team has been testing
our selective leaching on a number of traditional hard rock crystalline
forms of lithium and has successfully leached spodumene and leopodolite
without the use of high-temperature and pressure and not requiring
roasting and calcining.
The company already reported
results of successful selective leaching that has helped to reduce the
total weight leached to approximately 12% of the total initial weight.
In the second stage of the process, prior art to concentrate lithium in slims and clays is being applied with the selective leaching.
St-Georges expects to combine prior art with the innovation in leaching
currently being further improved to unlock the lithium content of
various conventional and alternative lithium-bearing material.
More material from various
origins will be tested in the coming months. So far the selective leach
is working on all lithium resources tested.
Timely release of information
St-Georges management has
the difficult task to protect the knowledge acquired by its on-going
R&D initiatives prior to the grant of formal patents while it also
has the obligation to inform its shareholders on the progress of these
initiatives while protecting their collective investment in the
intellectual property to be generated.
The nature of provisional
patent filing allows for amendments as further testing and fine tuning
is done and generates positive results while keeping the information
protected from third parties. St-Georges’ metallurgists are planning to
further amend the provisional filings when significant improvement on
the core innovation becomes material. The challenge to maintain the
right balance between a maximum disclosure of information and the
protection of the intellectual property generated is bound to create a
situation where an internal censorship process get in the way of
efficient information.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“Enrico Di Cesare”
ENRICO DI CESARE, DIRECTOR & VP RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
The
Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this
release.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 6:02 PM on Wednesday, January 16th, 2019
successfully improved its lithium-in-clay extraction technology, as well as an important breakthrough regarding the processing of hard rock material
Montreal / January 16, 2019 – St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (CSE: SX)(OTC: SXOOF) (FSE: 85G1) is pleased to report that it successfully improved its lithium-in-clay extraction technology, as well as an important breakthrough regarding the processing of hard rock material.
The Company previously
reported back in December (See Press Release Dated December 20, 2018)
that it had achieved the removal, by mechanical means, of 55% of the
material processed from the Bonnie Claire lithium deposit fully owned by
its partner Iconic Minerals ltd (TSX-V: ICM). At that point, 90% of the
lithium contained in the initial material was later found in solution
to be processed for recovery.
Additional tests have now
improved the outlook on the recovery grade. Stage 2 selective leach
processing has eliminated 70% of the material contained in the pregnant
portion of the initial material. The company is now pleased to report
that it found 100% of the initial lithium in solution post-leaching. The
subsequent solution now represent between 12 to 15% of the initial
material.
These
simple steps eliminate the need for expensive processing of 85 to 87%
of the initial material while retaining 100% of the lithium contained in
the material from the deposit. This increase the lithium grade of the
material to be further processed by 6 to 8 times.
From the 100% initial
material, 55% is discarded mechanically, low cost lixiviation sets aside
between 68 to 73% of the remaining material leaving approximately only
12 to 15% to be processed further.
The company is currently
working on improving the leaching selectivity within its phase 2
development efforts. Phase 3 testing will focus on purifying the lithium
to reach lithium hydroxide commercial quality.
Extraction of lithium from hard rocks.
The company has successfully
tested its leaching approach with spodumene and other clay formations
of lithium without pressure, calcining and high temperatures. This
development can be applied to any hard feed which includes tailings,
clay and hard rocks. St-Georges metallurgists are planning to initiate
tests in the coming days with lepidolite lithium material available from
St-Georges’ LeRoyal Project.
Joel Scodnick, P.Geo, a qualified person under NI 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“Frank Dumas”
FRANCOIS (FRANK) DUMAS, DIRECTOR & COO
About St-Georges
St-Georges is developing new technologies to solve the some of the most common environmental problems in the mining industry.
The Company controls
directly or indirectly, through rights of first refusal, all of the
active mineral tenures in Iceland. It also explores for nickel on the
Julie Nickel Project & for industrial minerals on Quebec’s North
Shore and for lithium and rare metals in Northern Quebec and in the
Abitibi region. Headquartered in Montreal, St-Georges’ stock is listed
on the CSE under the symbol SX, on the US OTC under the Symbol SXOOF and
on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 85G1.
The
Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this
release.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:28 AM on Tuesday, January 15th, 2019
SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc.
(TSX-V: NAM) The company’s new Lithium Division has already made
significant acquisitions in Canada and the USA. The company also owns
one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in
Sudbury, Canada. Learn More.
Discovery of mineral used in batteries has drills turning around Snow Lake
The growing prominence of electrified vehicles may be of huge benefit to Snow Lake, which is home to a large lithium find. The commodity is used in batteries
One of the hubs of activity for a mineral vital in the world’s drive to electrification is around Snow Lake, 200 kilometres east of Flin Flon.
Ian Froese · CBC News · Posted: Jan 12, 2019 6:00 AM CT | Last Updated: January 12
It may not offset the hundreds of mining jobs that northern Manitoba is losing, but exploration companies are bullish on the potential for lithium.
One of the hubs of activity for a mineral vital in the world’s drive
to electrification is around Snow Lake, 200 kilometres east of Flin
Flon.
“If we get three or four mines going up there again, we could
probably get 500 directly employed people,” said geologist Dale Schultz,
who is collaborating with a new mining company called Snow Lake
Resources.
It’s a lofty goal, but then lithium, used in batteries, is a hot
commodity in the expected electrification of our society,
including vehicles. And jurisdictions are taking notice: only months ago
the B.C. government promised it would take steps to ensure all new cars
and trucks sold in the province are emission-free by 2040.
That means the resource will become more valuable as time goes on, Schultz says.
“That’s the common wisdom right now.”
Betting on lithium
In and around Snow Lake, drills are turning for lithium.
Snow Lake Resources has dibs on a 6.3-million-tonne resource
estimate, while Far Resources is digging into an initial resource of 1.1
million tonnes.
The exploration comes amid a downturn in the province’s mining industry.
The sector faced a body blow last year when Hudbay announced its
intentions to pull up stakes in Flin Flon by 2021 due to a lack of ore
in the ground. In another setback, Vale laid off 169 employees last year
at its Thompson mine.
To save even some of those Hudbay positions, Snow Lake is being held
up as a saving grace. The miner expects to transfer employees to the
Stall mill, Lalor mine and a refurbished New Brit Gold mill, all near
Snow Lake.
It will lessen the blow, but it won’t save all 800 Hudbay jobs at risk in Flin Flon.
A helicopter view of a drill rig Far Resources is using to uncover lithium deposits. (Far Resources )
That’s where further exploration may come into play.
In addition to the play for lithium, Rockcliff Metals, a Toronto-based miner, is after a gold deposit in the region.
Toby Mayo, president and CEO of Far Resources, says there’s no
denying the demand for lithium can lift the fortunes of Snow Lake.
“There’s no reason why a huge number of additional discoveries can’t be made that will really put Snow Lake on the map — again.”
Hope during a downturn
Snow Lake has a storied mining history, but is subject to the whims of the industry’s cyclical nature.
Mayor Peter Roberts acknowledges his northern community may be
approaching a time when a stream of Flin Flon residents come to their
community to work, instead of a flow of citizens travelling in the
opposite direction.
He’s encouraged by any sign of drilling, but said he cannot hang his
hopes on firms which haven’t started mining yet. In the meantime, he’s
hopeful that Hudbay, still exploring in the region, can strike riches.
“As long as there is exploration, there’s always hope for a longer future,” he said.
In Manitoba, senior mining companies intended to spend $41.3 million
toward exploration in 2018, while junior miners invested $6.3 million
toward the same task, according to Natural Resources Canada figures.
Ken Klyne, president of the Manitoba Prospectors and Developers
Association, said provincial exploration can rise again by simplifying
the permitting process and reducing the need for onerous consultations.
Tags: lithium], stocks Posted in All Recent Posts, New Age Metals | Comments Off on New Age Metals Inc. $NAM.ca – Demand for lithium expected to put a charge in Manitoba’s mining sector $GLEN $LIC.ca $LIX.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:19 AM on Wednesday, December 12th, 2018
SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc. (TSX-V: NAM) The company’s new Lithium Division has already made significant acquisitions in Canada and the USA. The company also owns one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in Sudbury, Canada. The property hosts M+I 4,626,250 Palladium Equivalent Ounces. Click here for more information.
Brazilian pre-operational miner Sigma Lithium Resources expects the premium for high-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate that goes into battery production to rise in the next few years while demand for electric vehicles (EVs) grows, vice-chairman Ana Cabral told Fastmarkets.
“We believe prices for technical grade lithium hydroxide, at 56.5%, will fall further from now on, but premium for 90% content and beyond are set to increase as the material starts going into EV battery output,†she said.
By: Renata Rostas
Brazilian pre-operational miner Sigma Lithium Resources expects the
premium for high-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate that goes into
battery production to rise in the next few years while demand for
electric vehicles (EVs) grows, vice-chairman Ana Cabral told
Fastmarkets.
“We believe prices for technical grade lithium hydroxide, at 56.5%,
will fall further from now on, but premium for 90% content and beyond
are set to increase as the material starts going into EV battery
output,†she said.
Fastmarkets assessed spot 56.5% lithium hydroxide prices in China
at 105,000-115,000 yuan ($15,209-16,658) per tonne on December 6,
unchanged from a week before but lower than this year’s peak of
148,000-153,000 yuan per tonne on January 11.
“Battery makers are increasingly looking for low-impurity, high-content
lithium, and being able to deliver this product right now is key in our
industry,†Cabral said. “We aim to produce refined material with high
grades, and you can count on your fingers how many companies, mostly in
Australia, do that.â€
Sigma Lithium owns a spodumene pegmatite
mine in Brazil’s Vale do Jequitinhonha, a region in the southeastern
state of Minas Gerais whose GDP per capita ranks as the 121st lowest out
of 137 meso-regions.
The company aims to start industrial
operations in the fourth quarter of 2019 and produce 240,000 tonnes per
year of spodumene concentrates (6-8% lithium oxide) by 2020, in “phase
2†of the plant.
A pilot 12,000-tpy capacity, or phase 1, is
currently in place, meant for product approvals from clients while the
miner finishes a feasibility study for the project. The study is
scheduled to be finished by February 2019, Cabral said.
Japanese trader Mitsui has agreed to buy a third of initial commercial
output in the second phase of operations, for $30 million, with an
option to maintain its 33% proportion at a possible phase 3. A
pre-payment will be done as soon as the feasibility study is ready,
allowing the company to finance the start-up.
“We have
continued discussing other offtake and similar agreements,†Cabral said.
“There are more traders that wish to secure their supply, but we want
to close deals with different types of companies and geographies, to
diversify our portfolio.â€