Posted by Paul Nanuwa
at 1:22 PM on Wednesday, August 21st, 2024
St-Georges Eco-Mining (SX: CSE) (SXOOF: OTCQB) and Call2Recycle launch Ontario’s most efficient battery processing facility.
THE FACILITY:
The Thorold, Ontario facility which is located in the beautiful region of Niagara Falls, can process 4,200 tons of alkaline batteries annually effectively recycling 87.7% of components. The highest efficiency rate in Canada!
Call2Recycle has seen a 21% growth in battery collection since 2023, with Ontario contributing 40% of the volumes.
Operating under rigorous environmental and safety standards ensures that its recycling processes are safe, efficient, and compliant with the highest industry standards. This has helped Call2Recycle maintain trusted relationships and expand its network of over 12,000 collection locations across North America.
BEYOND THE BATTERY:
St-Georges plans to collaborate with its subsidiary, St-Georges Metallurgy (SXM), to develop agricultural fertilizers from components of the black mass. The specific elements in the black mass, such as certain metal salts, can be repurposed into nutrient-rich fertilizers that are beneficial for agriculture.
Developing products from black mass not only reduces waste but also creates additional revenue streams for the company, making the recycling process more economically viable.
PROBLEM SOLVING:
The plant can process over 60% of Ontario’s collected batteries locally, reducing transportation emissions and costs.
The facility supports local job growth and strengthens Ontario’s circular economy, benefiting both the environment and the economy.
WHAT MANAGEMENT HAS TO SAY:
Joe Zenobio, President of Call2Recycle Canada – “Partnering with EVSX is a major step in expanding our recycling infrastructure.”
Enrico Di Cesare, CEO of EVSX – “We are committed to expanding our operations to achieve 100% recovery of all battery components.”
EXPERIENCE MATTERS:
50 Million Kilograms Recycled: Since its inception (1997), Call2Recycle has safely collected and recycled almost 50 million kilograms of batteries in Canada alone.
Circular Economy: By diverting batteries from landfills and reintroducing materials back into the economy, Call2Recycle contributes to a circular economy, which minimizes waste and conserves natural resources.
Call2Recycle’s efforts are crucial in mitigating the environmental impact of battery waste, and its partnerships with companies like St-Georges Eco-Mining, further enhance its ability to manage the growing volume of batteries being used and disposed of in the modern world.
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Posted by AGORACOM
at 9:41 AM on Friday, May 3rd, 2019
The Company has been advancing the Graphite Project on three fronts
Exploration and diamond drilling
Construction of on-site offices, laboratory, and living quarters,
Construction of a commercial scale graphite processing plant capable of producing 20,000 tonnes of concentrate per year,
TORONTO, May 3, 2019 /CNW/ – Gratomic Inc. (“Gratomic” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: GRAT) (CB81–FRANKFURT) a vertically integrated graphite to graphene, advanced materials development company is pleased to provide an update from its Aukam Graphite Mine in Namibia. The Company has been advancing the Graphite Project on three fronts focusing on exploration and diamond drilling, construction of on-site offices, laboratory, and living quarters, and the construction of a commercial scale graphite processing plant. The commercial scale graphite plant, capable of producing in excess of 20,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate per year, will replace the existing pilot plant commissioned in 2018 which successfully produced 5.5 tonnes of graphite concentrate grading between 88%-96% Carbon as Graphite (“Cg”).
The Aukam Graphite Project is located in southern Namibia
close to the port city of Luderitz. The property hosts five underground
adits which were mined periodically between 1940 and 1974. Graphite
mineralization at Aukam is of the vein or lump type and occurs as
massive lenses and veins. Graphite has also been observed as minor
disseminated patches hosted in variably altered granite.
2018 Exploration
During 2018, Gratomic contracted Gregory Symons Geophysics (GSG) to
perform Horizontal Loop Electromagnetics (HLEM) and magnetic surveys in
continuation of previous geophysical surveys undertaken in 2016/2017.
The original survey was performed in the vicinity of the Aukam Mine
marked by the black polygon in Figure1 below. During the 2018
geophysical survey, ground electromagnetic and magnetic surveys were
completed in two areas identified as Grid 1, which lies East of the
Aukam Mine, and a portion Grid 2 as indicated in purple, known as Snyman
Graphite Occurrence (see Figure 1).
Grid 1 adjoins the previous survey over the mine area at Aukam
and extends the strike length covered to 1.6 kilometres to the East.
Significant interpretations pertaining to Grid 1 include:
Graphite identified at surface occurs both as
massive graphite veins and widespread disseminated graphite over an area
of 550 metres east-west by 190 metres north- south,
Surface graphite showings are located sub-parallel to known electromagnetic anomalies,
Electromagnetic anomalies extend those depicted by the original survey by approximately 550 metres,
Current strike length of anomaly now stands at 1.3 kilometres,
Distinct drill targets have been identified along the trend (see Figure 2),
Surveyed area appears to be under rather shallow sand cover,
Prospective areas identified are conducive to surface trenching.
Grid 2 of the completed geophysical survey covers the Snyman
graphite occurrence in the northeastern portion of EPL3895. The Snyman
graphite occurrence covers an area of 7.5 ha and lies approximately 6.5
kilometres east of the Aukam mine.
Significant interpretations pertaining to Grid 2 include:
Graphitic interpreted mineralization is depicted by a
predominant EM anomaly in the northwest part of the grid extending over
150 metres,
A second weaker EM further to the east extends
over 600 metres is thought to be associated with graphite mineralization
in the area
The grid area appears to be covered with thin overburden,
Areas have been identified as prospective areas conducive to surface trenching (see Figure 3)
During 2018 Gratomic was granted additional Exclusive
Prospecting License, Number 6710 (EPL 6710) by the Namibian Ministry of
Mines and Energy, with an initial exclusivity of three years. The
license area is contiguous with EPL 3895, which covers the Aukam
graphite deposit and the Snyman graphite occurrence (see Figure 4). The
application for EPL 6710 was submitted in order to cover the potential
strike extension of the Snyman graphite occurrence to the east. In
addition, EPL 6710 covers an additional area considered prospective for
graphite within the “Aukam window” where rocks hosting the Aukam and
Snyman graphite are exposed beneath the regional unconformity at the
base of the Nama Group sedimentary rocks. The addition of the new EPL
increases the area of prospective geology covered to 63,072 hectares
(630 square kilometres).
Regional exploration in 2018 included mapping and sampling of
graphite occurrences throughout the Company’s license areas with
emphasis on the 400 hectares encompassing both the Snyman graphite
occurrence and the area east of the Aukam Mine. Compilation,
interpretation and presentation of all available geologic data allowed
for subsequent diamond drill targeting with initial drilling planned for
the area immediately east of the existing underground workings of the
Aukam Mine.
Diamond Drilling
Two company drills were deployed to Aukam in March 2019
with diamond drilling commencing in April. The company is currently
operating a Longyear 38 with a 2-cylinder XY-1 drill for a backup.
Initial targets being drilled are proximal to the Aukam Mine and are
spaced at 25 metres with infill drill planned to follow based on
results. Five holes have been completed at the time of this release.
Processing Plant
During 2018 Gratomic completed the construction and start-up of its’
prototype processing plant to test and refine the processes that will be
used for commercial production. The Aukam processing plant uses a
simple crushing, grinding and flotation system. Graphite feed for the
prototype plant was obtained from screening and sorting of existing
stockpiles from historical mining. The processing plant operated for 26
days during April and for all 31 days in May of 2018. While operational,
data was collected at each phase of the process and test results from
samples were sent to Gecko labs with the subsequent results used to
optimize plant processes. The following tests and optimization were
conducted:
Liberation analysis
Flake size distribution analysis
Mixing velocity optimization
Screen size analysis and optimization
Air flow analysis in columns and optimization
Drying analysis and optimization
Silica dispersant ratio optimization
Reagent optimization
Product flow rate optimization
Grade optimization
Staff recruitment, training, and man-hour analysis
Economic sensitivity analysis on pilot processing facility
Feed stock optimization and process
The
Company continued to optimize the pilot plant processing stockpiled
graphite mineralization throughout 2018. To date, the plant has
processed 9 tonnes of the graphite mineralization with 5.5 tonnes of
graphite concentrate grading between 88% and 96% Cg shipped to Perpetuus
Carbon Technologies (“Perpetuus”) for the manufacture of graphene to be
used in the automobile and bicycle tire industry. Graphene made from
Aukam graphite continues to be tested in Europe and Asia with good results.
Gratomic and Perpetuus are currently in collaboration to build on
Perpetuus’ capability to produce high quality surface modified graphene
in support of the anticipated volumes required by the tire manufacturing
industry. Additional applications that have now been generated in a
preproduction format include radiant heating membranes and super
hydrophobic coatings with an addressable market that include; graphene
inks, marine, oil & gas, power generation, industrial (repair &
maintenance), infrastructure (new build) and automotive &
transportation among others.
Plant Expansion
Plant expansion to increase capacity to 20,000 tonne per annum began
in2018. Initial activities included construction of a platform for
drying graphite product and of a washing bay for equipment, complete
with a containment system to collect impacted water. Steel drying pans,
an oven, and two screens were also assembled and successfully
tested. Continued upgrades involved the extension of the working area on
the pilot plant by another 35 metres to the north-west to accommodate
new crushing equipment and conveyer belts. Analysis of all plant
processes continues to optimize efficiencies of each process such as rod
mills, flotation columns, and reagent introduction. Four different
tests were run with the first test being used as a base line. Samples
were taken from the rod mill feed, mill discharge, and screen
under-and-over size. Calculations were made to determine the amount of
chemicals needed to be introduced into the mixers according to the
density and volume of the mixer feed.
Recent upgrades to the processing plant continue with the arrival of
additional commercial scale equipment including; industrial sized
generator, screw conveyors, shaker screens, rod mill, conveyors, and
boom truck.
Gratomic is continuing with its systematic assembly of the commercial scale graphite processing plant. Next steps will include:
Completion of the pilot acid wash. This circuit will
be used to collect engineering data to design the commercial scale
plant. This is an addition to the plant that will allow the company to
produce upwards of 98.5% graphite based on its latest pilot testing
results in the lab.
Modifications are currently being made to the jaw crusher to allow it to more effectively crush graphite,
Rod
mill support systems such as maintenance cradles and cranes, rod
loading equipment and control systems are currently being engineered,
Flotation
circuit mass balances are being explored using pilot plant data in
order to size the pumps and flow lines of the flotation system,
Dewatering circuit equipment are currently being specified,
Water
conditioning systems are currently being designed to allow close to
100% recycle of water. This includes pH control, removal of fine
suspended solids and removal of dissolved iron,
Control systems are being designed for each sub-circuit of the commercial scale plant.
Camp Construction
Construction of the onsite Management Camp consisting of offices,
laboratory, kitchen, and living quarters, is ongoing. Work began with
two of the larger structures during Q4/2018.
Qualified Persons
Steve Gray, P.Geo. has reviewed,
prepared and approved the scientific and technical information in this
press release and is Gratomic Inc’s “Qualified Person” as defined by
National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
About Gratomic Inc.
Gratomic is an advanced materials company focused on mine to market
commercialization of graphite products most notably high value
graphene-based components for a range of mass market products. We are
collaborating with a leading European manufacturer of graphene to use
Aukam graphite to manufacture graphene products for commercialization on
an industrial scale. The company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange
under the symbol GRAT.
“Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider
(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange)
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.”