Dec 12 2013
Nemaska Lithium Inc. ("Nemaska" or the "Corporation") is pleased to report the initial results of its concentrator flow sheet optimization testing and the overall lithium recovery rate for the Whabouchi Project.
In the NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment report dated October 2, 2012 as amended February 27, 2013 (the PEA), the concentrator flow sheet is comprised of a first stage of concentration by dense media separation (DMS), followed by flotation to complete the concentration process. Nemaska has conducted tests with actual suppliers of DMS equipment and the results are very encouraging. In short, the overall recovery rate as lithium concentrate from DMS was improved by 16.7%. Nemaska is presently awaiting the final results from similar work conducted on the flotation portion of the flow sheet.
"We are very pleased by these results, which are only possible because of the exceptional grade and homogeneous nature of the Whabouchi Lithium project," commented Guy Bourassa, President and CEO of Nemaska Lithium. "Based on our findings to date, we are projecting significant improvement in both our operating and capital expenditures in the feasibility study."
Crushed coarse-grained ore from Nemaska's Whabouchi project was tested by Met-Solve Laboratories of Langley, B.C. in a three stage dense media separation (DMS) pilot plant owned by a DMS manufacturer. Fine grained ore and "middlings" from the DMS containing good lithium values were combined and passed on for flotation testing.
The full results of the DMS and flotation testing will be included in the Feasibility Study due Q1 2014. The results of the flotation tests being conducted presently will be released once completed.
The technical sections of this press release were prepared by Gary Pearse, Msc, P.Eng., qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.
About Nemaska
Nemaska intends to become a lithium hydroxide/carbonate producer based in Quebec and has filed patent applications for its proprietary methods to produce lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate. In tandem, the Company is developing one of the richest spodumene lithium hard rock deposit in the world, both in volume and grade. Spodumene concentrate produced at Nemaska's Whabouchi mine and from other global sources will be shipped to the Company's lithium hydroxide/carbonate processing plant to be built in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec. This plant will transform spodumene concentrate into high purity lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate mainly for the growing lithium battery market. The Nemaska's Whabouchi deposit, located in the James Bay Region in the Province of Quebec, Canada, near the Cree community of Nemaska, should have an initial mine life of 18 years.
Source: http://www.nemaskaexploration.com