I-Minerals Creates Advisory Board of Industry Experts
VANCOUVER, BC --(Marketwired - September 14, 2016) - I-Minerals Inc. (TSX VENTURE: IMA) (OTCQB: IMAHF) ("I-Minerals") is pleased to announce that it has created an advisory board of industry experts in production methodologies, uses and applications and mineral market opportunites for the halloysite, metakaolin, quartz and potassium feldspar from the Company's Helmer Bovill industrial mineral property as detailed in the Feasibility Study "Bovill Kaolin Project, Latah County, Idaho, USA NI 43-101 Technical Report - Feasibility Study" by GBM Engineers, LLC (see the Company's press release of March 8, 2016).
Dr. Joachim Schomburg (Neubrandenburg, Germany): Dr.Schomburg received his master degree in geology and his PhD and habilitation in Technical Mineralogy from the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald (founded 1456). Dr. Schomburg founded DURTEC GmbH a leader in mineral-based applications for Nanotechnology and Clean Technology and a developer of a related IPR-portfolio in 1990. He has over 35 years in Technical Mineralogy and has authored over 80 scientific papers. Dr. Schomburg has been the leading innovator of DURTEC's development and delivery of selected value-added mineral products for Life Science, Nanotechnology and Environmental Protection applications. Life Science applications include raw material evaluations and advanced technological research and customer-tailored product developments (functional fillers, mineral based agents). In the Nanotechnology space Dr. Schomburg has undertaken development and characterization of mineral products with natural nanoscaled properties, while in the environmental protection sector he has completed work on design of mineral-based barrier systems and utilizing mineral products for clean technology applications such as reatment of contaminations and reduction of air pollution/biogas treatment. Dr. Schomburg is internationally recognized as a leading expert in halloysite applications.
Dr. Thomas Gallo (Ashville, North Carolina): Dr. Gallo received his bachelors and masters in Ceramic Engineering from Rutgers University and a PhD in Ceramic Science and Engineering with a thesis on Densification of Gel-Derived Silica. His early work included research in chemically derived and high purity materials where he gained process scale up and catalyst experience. Dr. Gallo later invented, developed and commercialized reactive injection molding of ceramics as well as working in porcelain body systems. More recently Dr. Gallo spent 12 years with Unimin Corporation where he invented Iota-8 processing and rose to manage a 20-person research team working in HPQ processing and purification, customer service, paint / coating research as well as whitewares. Dr. Gallo is a leading high purity quartz expert.
Frank Hart (Cornwall, U.K.) Mr. Hart received a B.Sc. from Leicester University with combined honours in geology and chemistry. His early experience included Quality Control Manager at Gyproc Glass Fibre where his responsibilities included analysis of incoming raw materials and implementing ISO and BBA quality schemes. Mr. Hart later headed up the technical department at Goonvean Ltd in Cornwall where over 28 years of service he gained a comprehensive knowledge of the mining & refining of kaolin and associated minerals such feldspathic granite; laboratory testing procedures and industrial applications. A testing facility for other companies investigating new mineral deposits was established in 2005: kaolin, halloysite, talc and GCC samples were analysed from locations across the world. In 2013 Mr. Hart established First Test Minerals Ltd, focusing on clay minerals and continuing the theme of refining, testing and market development of early stage projects.
Orville (Bud) Werner II (Denver, Colorado): Mr. Werner began his 44-year career as a civil engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation, Concrete and Structural Branch, where for 11 years he was a field inspector and he conducted research, materials testing programs, and mix design studies related to on-going Bureau concrete construction. He is currently President of CTL|Thompson Materials Engineers, Inc., a company he has served since 1983. Mr. Werner is responsible for selecting and coordinating laboratory and field investigations for evaluation of fresh and hardened concrete, analysis of problems arising in the field during or after concrete construction, and proportioning of concrete mixes for specific applications and projects. He supervises laboratory and field tests on cement and pozzolans, aggregates and various types of concrete e. He also participates in the activities of the American Concrete Institute (Fellow Member) which develops appropriate industry standards for construction materials evaluation and inspection. Mr. Werner is a recognized pozzolan expert and I-Minerals' metakaolin is a natural pozzolan.
Peter Harben (Las Cruces, New Mexico) holds a B.Sc. Joint Honors degree in Geology and Mineral Exploitation from University College, Cardiff, and a M.Sc. D.I.C. (with Distinction) in Mineral Exploration from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College of Science and Technology in the University of London. Mr. Harben has worked in the field of industrial minerals for 30 years, initially as an editor of the journal Industrial Minerals. He has written and spoken extensively on the subject of industrial minerals and their markets including several editions of The Industrial Minerals HandyBook - A Guide to Markets, Specifications and Prices. In 2005 Mr. Harben received the AIME Hal Williams Award for outstanding achievement and service to the profession by describing the geology of worldwide industrial minerals deposits; setting an industry standard with the Industrial Minerals HandyBook; and making significant contributions to the field of industrial minerals marketing and research. As President of Peter W. Harben Inc., an international consulting firm he founded in 1986, Mr. Harben has participated in numerous assignments including worldwide market evaluations, assessment of acquisition opportunities, the development of marketing plans, and participation in due diligence work. Mr. Harben's extensive market and marketing expertise will be of great assistance to I-Minerals.
The Advisory board is complemented by I-Minerals board members J. Gary Childress (Columbus, Ohio) who has spent most of his career in the industrial minerals and ceramic industries including 30 years with industrial mineral producers KT Clay and KT Feldspar and John Theobald (London, UK) who over a period of about 10 years with Sibelco, a major industrial minerals group, where he held a number of senior positions, and gained significant experience in kaolin, feldspar, clay and quartz markets and operations. . All of the pilot plant work to date has been completed at some of the best reseach facilities in the United States. Ginn Mineral Technology, led by Michael Ginn and NCSU Minerals Research Laboratory, with chief engineer John Schlanz. Both Mr. Ginn and Mr. Schlanz are recognized as experts in their fields of kaolin clay and quartz/feldspar metallurgy, respectively.
"The production and sale of industrial mineral products requires a different skill set as compared with metals production as we will ultimately be producing mineral products that are inputs into another companies manufacturing process," stated Thomas Conway, President and CEO of I-Minerals Inc. "From the separation work at pilot plants through to testing our mineral products in new market applications, we have engaged some of the best and brightest minds in the industrial minerals space. Taken together with our internal management team, we believe we have a very strong team to drive our Helmer Bovill project forward. As we move forward through permitting towards production the importance of the guidance of experienced industry experts has been, and will continue to be instrumental to our success. As we stand today, we have the highest quality halloysite currently known for the high value life science applications, the best K-spar available in North America, the only prospective source of metakaolin, a premium pozzolan in the Pacific Northwest and the highest purity North American sourced quartz outside of North Carolina. With the quality of the Helmer Bovill deposit and the strength of the advisory board and management team, we are very optimistic about the Company's prospects going forward."
I-Minerals Inc.
per: "Thomas M. Conway"
Thomas M. Conway,
President & CEO
NEITHER THE 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 NEWS RELEASE.
This News Release includes certain "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various risks. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of the following factors, among others: changes in the world wide price of mineral market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risk associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and uncertainty of access to additional capital.
Contact
I-Minerals Inc.
Barry Girling
877-303-6573 or 604-303-6573 x 102
Email: info@imineralsinc.com
Or visit our website at www.imineralsinc.com
Paul Searle
877-303-6573 or 604-303-6573 x 113
Email: PSearle@imineralsinc.com