Sep 18 2015
NioCorp Developments Ltd. ("NioCorp" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the production of ferroniobium using feed material from the Elk Creek Resource that meets specifications for commercial sale.
NioCorp has retained Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. ("KPM") of Kingston, Ontario to conduct a series of pyrometallurgical tests to provide design information for the ferroniobium production process and to generate small quantities of ferroniobium. Testwork conducted in August of 2015 produced a final ferroniobium button that weighed 78 grams. The button was analyzed in KPM's internal laboratory, as well as at two external laboratories: SGS of Lakefield, Ontario and Actlabs of Ancaster, Ontario. NioCorp then compared the analytical results to a commercial specification for ferroniobium contained in the Company's offtake agreement with Thyssen Krupp Metallurgical Products GmbH and determined that the specification was met.
"We are extremely pleased with the work completed by the KPM team in order to achieve this important milestone for the Elk Creek project," said Mark A. Smith, Executive Chairman of NioCorp. "These results are the culmination of our efforts to demonstrate a complete flowsheet for the production of ferroniobium at a laboratory scale, and will be combined with the other elements of our metallurgical development program to advance our plant design to the feasibility level."
Qualified Persons:
Eric Larochelle, B.Eng of Roche Engineering Inc, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for the Elk Creek hydrometallurgical program and has read and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
Kevan Ford of Great Lakes Metallurgy Ltd., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for the Elk Creek pyrometallurgical program and has read and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
Source: http://www.niocorp.com/