Novel Flowsheet Design Patents Filed for Scandium Recovery
Reno, Nevada (FSCwire) - Scandium International Mining Corp. (the “Company” or “Scandium International” or “SCY”) (TSX: SCY) announces today that it has completed the filing of five patent applications with the US Patent Office that correspond to novel flowsheet designs for the recovery of scandium from laterite resource material. All five of these patents are directly applicable to our Nyngan Scandium Project in NSW, Australia, although one of the five patents pertains to downstream product design.
The five patent applications are titled as follows;
- Systems and methodologies for recovering scandium values from mixed ion solutions,
- Systems and methodologies for direct acid leaching of scandium bearing laterite ores,
- Solvent extraction of scandium from leach solutions,
- Systems and processes for recovering scandium values from laterite ores, and
- Scandium-containing master alloys and method for making the same,
PATENT APPLICATION HIGHLIGHTS:
- These patent applications cover novel, unique flowsheet designs, applicable to scandium extraction, from scandiferous laterite resources,
- The patented designs are largely supported by test work done with Nyngan project resource material and known design parameters,
- The patents cover HPAL system material flows, solvent extraction systems (SX), ion exchange systems (IX), atmospheric tank and heap leaching systems and techniques, and processes for directly making select master alloys containing scandium,
- The designs will be part of a definitive feasibility study, scheduled for 2015, and
- The master alloy patent application uniquely integrates planned flowsheet design and downstream product development, either by SCY or with future customers.
DISCUSSION
These five patent applications have been filed with the US Patent Office, with dates of record from September 2014 to February 2015. They protect the company’s position and rights to the intellectual property (IP) contained and identified in the applications as of the date filed, within the worldwide jurisdiction limits of the US patent system. Review by the US Patent Office takes further time, but the dates of record define the basis of IP ownership claims, as is generally afforded US patent-holders.
The Company intends to utilize the IP contained in these process patents in the development of process flowsheets for recovery of scandium from its Nyngan Scandium Project.
The Company believes that patent protection of these specific, novel process designs will be granted. Many of the basic design elements contemplated in the Nyngan Project flowsheet are commonly applied to other specialty metals, particularly nickel. However, the application of these basic design elements has not been commonly applied to scandium extraction from laterite resources, and there are enough intended and required operational differences in the application to permit the Company to patent-protect IP on those differences.
These patent claims are the result of several years of metallurgical testwork with independent resource laboratories and specific design work by Willem Duyvesteyn, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer, using Nyngan property resource material. This work is ongoing. Patent protection on flowsheet IP will serve to limit or prevent the unauthorized use of that IP by others, without Scandium International’s consent. We believe these filings are an important action to protect the ownership of a Company asset, on behalf of all SCY shareholders.
The specifics of each of the five scandium-related patents are not intended to be released to the public until formal patent rights are granted and published by the US Patent Office.
George Putnam, CEO of Scandium International Mining Corp. commented:
“These patent applications represent an important step in securing ownership and rights to the technical understanding of scandium recovery that we have invested in for several years. The filings will also allow us to work openly with an independent engineering firm to develop the best feasibility study product, and to configure the most efficient process flowsheet for our Nyngan Project, while maintaining control over our unique process designs.”
QUALIFIED PERSONS
Willem Duyvesteyn, Director and CTO of Scandium International Mining Corp., and a QP as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed this press release.
ABOUT SCANDIUM INTERNATIONAL MINING CORP.
The Company is focused on developing the Nyngan Scandium Project into the world’s first scandium-only producing mine. The Company owns a 100% interest in both the Nyngan Scandium Project, and the adjacent Honeybugle Scandium Property, in New South Wales, Australia. SCY’s interest in both Nyngan and Honeybugle can potentially be reduced to 80% in the future, based on certain current granted option rights.
The Company filed a NI 43-101 technical report disclosing Measured and Indicated Resources on the Nyngan Project in March of 2010. The Company also filed a NI 43-101 technical report on a preliminary economic assessment of the Nyngan Scandium Project in October of 2014, and has completed extensive metallurgical test work on the resource. In addition, SCY owns a 100% interest in the Tørdal Scandium/REE property in southern Norway, where we continue our exploration efforts, specifically for scandium and REE minerals.
For additional information please contact:
Scandium International Mining Corp.
Investor Relations; Ed Dickinson (CFO) (775)-233-7328 or George Putnam (CEO) (925) 208-1775 or info@scandiummining.com.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements regarding the short term or long term economic feasibility of scandium production at our Nyngan scandium project, the effectiveness and scalability of our Scandium processing technologies, and in general, statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking information in this press release is based on estimates and opinions of management and qualified persons as defined in NI 43-101 that are providing technical services to SCY, on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice, and by other risk factors disclosed in our public filings. Such statements include metal price assumptions, that funding necessary for carrying out our business plan will be available including the preparation of a feasibility study in 2015, cash flow forecasts, projected capital and operating costs, metal or mineral recoveries, mine life, production rates and the results of HPAL modeling and testing. Any of these and other assumptions and forecasts may change due to reasons that impact the industry generally, such as scandium pricing, or for reasons specific to the project. Except as required by law, SCY assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.
To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:
public://news_release_pdf/scandium02172015.pdf
Source: Scandium International Mining Corp. (TSX:SCY) www.scandiummining.com
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