Frontier Lithium Completes Successful Metallurgical Tests Producing Spodumene Concentrate with a Grade of 7.13% Li2O
Sudbury, Ontario (FSCwire) - Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX.V: FL) (the “Company”) is pleased to report metallurgical results from the Company’s 100% owned PAK Lithium Project (the "Project") in the Red Lake Mining District, Northwestern Ontario. The Locked Cycle Test (LCT) flotation test work was performed from a representative 500 kg master composite mineralized sample. The test work was undertaken by XPS Consulting & Testwork Services ("XPS"), a Glencore company, and based in Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada.
The comprehensive program returned favourable results, confirming the suitability and robustness of the flowsheet design. Locked cycle flotation produced lithium concentrate grades of 7.13% lithium oxide (Li2O) with a corresponding Li2O recovery of 79.4%. "The results that were obtained in our metallurgical testing have clearly demonstrated a sound understanding of the processing characteristics of the mineralized material. A future plant with optimized equipment is expected to produce similar results to the locked cycle tests undertaken by XPS," commented Trevor Walker, President and CEO of Frontier Lithium.
The program also included high intensity magnetic removal of iron that resulted in concentrate iron oxide levels of 0.1% Fe2O3. These results confirm the suitability of the material to meet the most rigorous specifications of the lithium market. "The results are analogous with the low-iron, high purity product highly sought after by discerning customers in the glass and ceramics industry - spodumene technical grade is the most stringent specification to meet and is the second largest market segment for global lithium demand," said Trevor Walker, President and CEO of Frontier Lithium. "Frontier is currently conducting a Pre-Feasibility Study, therefore this test work is a significant de-risking event for the Project. These results meet expectations from the lithium market’s industrial consumers (technical grade), and consequently exceed chemical grade requirements for further upgrading to produce compounds for the lithium-ion battery market – a global market that is anxious to see a new, serious supplier in a favourable jurisdiction come online as a sustainable source for low-iron, high purity lithium."
Mr. Garth Drever, P.Geo., is the "Qualified Person" for Frontier defined under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
About Frontier Lithium Inc.
Frontier’s goal is to become a low-cost, fully integrated lithium and tantalum producer through development of the PAK lithium deposit in Ontario, Canada. Frontier maintains a tight share structure with management ownership exceeding 30% of the Company. CAD $5 million of exploration work has been conducted from 2013 to 2017 on the deposit which boasts its lithium in a rare, high-purity, low-iron spodumene. The initial target market is the glass-ceramic industry which consumes roughly one-third of global lithium supply and is currently faced with monopolistic conditions, coupled with major lithium producers increasingly directing output toward supporting battery manufacture.
Ceramic/glass customers prefer to source technical-grade (low-iron) spodumene concentrate in excess of 7% lithium oxide (Li2O), if available, to avoid lower grade petalite concentrates, or paying much higher prices for battery grade lithium compounds.
The PAK lithium deposit remains open in all directions and Company Management is working towards developing a viable operation. The Company is currently conducting a pre-feasibility study to assess the economic viability and technical feasibility of producing lithium concentrates. Frontier’s goal is to first establish a viable technical grade spodumene concentrate operation. A possible second stage of investment and longer term prospect is to further process some of PAK’s output to produce the higher purity lithium compounds required for lithium battery technologies used in the electrification of transportation and electric grid storage applications.
About the PAK Lithium Project
The PAK Lithium Project lies close to the boundary between two geological sub-provinces of the western Superior geologic province in northwestern Ontario and hosts a rare metals pegmatite deposit. The deposit is an LCT (lithium- cesium- tantalum) type pegmatite. These types of pegmatites have been the principal source of hard rock lithium, tantalum, rubidium and cesium ores mined in the world but there are comparatively few commercially-viable deposits.
Frontier is actively exploring its 100% owned project which contains the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite. The PAK deposit has a current Measured and Indicated Resource of 7.89 million tonnes of 1.73% Li2O equivalent (eq.) or 1.58% Li20 and 104 ppm Ta2O5 and an Inferred Resource of 295,600 tonnes of 1.35% Li2O eq. or 1.20% Li2O and 103 ppm Ta2O5 which has a technical/ceramic grade spodumene with low inherent iron (below 0.1% Fe2O3). The deposit has adjacent zones that are enriched in tantalum and rubidium.
The deposit now has a known 500m strike length with an estimated true width varying from 10m to 125m with a sub-vertical orientation. The resource remains open to depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.
Company Contact Information
Trevor R. Walker
President & CEO
2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA
T. +001 705.897.7622
F. +001 705.897.7618
Media Requests
Joseph Mansourian
Manager, Investor Relations
2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA
T. +001 705.618.0070
F. +001 705.897.7618
Additional information regarding Frontier Lithium is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile and on its website at www.frontierlithium.com, including various pictures of ongoing work at the project.
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 release.
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Source: Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX Venture:FL)
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