VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 13, 2024 / FE Battery Metals Corp (CSE:FE)(OTCQB:FEMFF)(WKN: A2JC89) ("FE" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the positive results of hydrometallurgical testwork that was able to produce battery grade lithium carbonate from pegmatite samples from its Augustus Lithium Project.
For the study, FE contracted SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS"). The testwork was conducted at SGS' Metallurgical Centre of Excellence testing facility located in Lakefield, Ontario with the objectives of evaluating, establishing, and confirming the optimal hydrometallurgical process flowsheet required to successfully extract high purity lithium carbonate from previously developed spodumene concentrate, produced from FE's flagship Augustus Lithium Project. The Augustus Lithium Project sits adjacent to the North American Lithium mine in Quebec.
The resultant successful hydrometallurgical process involved eight steps that covered phase transformation, roasting, isolation and purification of the original concentrate to precipitate lithium carbonate with a very high purity. Phase transformation of the spodumene was achieved by a process known as calcination, which roasted the concentrate for 60 minutes at 1050°C in a rotary kiln with the resultant calcine ground and acid roasted with sulphuric acid in a rotary kiln at 250°C for 60 minutes.
Impurities such as Al, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Ca were removed during the process by selective precipitation by ion exchange with a LANXESS MDS TP260 resin. With impurities removed, the resultant lithium sulphate solution was subjected to direct lithium carbonate precipitation at 95°C by the addition of sodium carbonate at a specific ratio. Later, this first precipitate was put into a slurry where it was eventually re-precipitated with a resultant purity of 99.95% at a 74% lithium recovery.
"SGS was pleased to support our client, FE Battery Metals Corp, in developing a hydrometallurgical flowsheet for extracting high purity lithium carbonate, a crucial chemical in the battery supply chain. Our Lakefield team is committed to delivering innovation in extractive metallurgy while upholding our company's strong commitment to sustainability," said Carlos Cordoba, VP of Natural Resources at SGS North America.
About SGS Canada Inc. (SGS) We are SGS - the world's leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 99,600 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world. Visit sgs.ca.
Lastly, the Company is pleased to announce the acquisition of 47 mineral claims in two claim blocks covering approximately 2,759.80 hectares of land, located 40 km northeast of Mont Laurier in Québec. Infrastructure support, availability of water and power locally, and historically successful results make it a promising exploration target for rare earth metals and uranium.
Transaction Details: The Company acquired the mining claims comprising the Property from an arm's length seller pursuant to an option agreement dated March June 10th, 2024 (the "Effective Date"). Under the agreement, the Optionor will sell, transfer, and assign to the Company all their interest for and in consideration of (i) issuing an aggregate of 1,000,000 Shares, common shares of FE Battery Metals Corp over two years, (ii) incurring exploration expenditures of $ 1,000,000 over two years. There is a 1.0% of Gross Metal Royalty (GMR) over the Property payable upon the commencement of commercial production on these claims.
The issuance of the common shares is subject to obtaining all required regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. The common shares will be subject to a "hold" period of four months and one date for their date of issuance.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.
Forward-Looking Information Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. "Forward-looking information" in this news release includes information about the Company's intentions, plans and future actions described herein and the terms thereon.
The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about the Company's ability to obtain required approvals. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the Company's normal course of business. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
