Deutsche Rohstoff AG: JV of Tin International and Lithium Australia reports maiden lithium Mineral Resource estimate for Sadisdorf
Sadisdorf tin-lithium project hosts an inferred resource of 25 Mt grading 0.45 % Li2OMannheim/Leipzig/Perth. The Joint Venture of Tin International AG and Lithium Australia NL reports today, that a maiden lithium Mineral Resource estimate has been completed for the Sadisdorf tin-lithium project, located in Saxony, Germany. The project is managed through Lithium Australia NL (ASX: LIT), a Perth-based lithium explorer and processing technology developer, who can earn up to 50 % of the project by spending a total of EUR 2 million on exploration.
The industry renowned consultancy firm CSA Global has estimated a JORC (2012) compliant inferred Mineral Resource of 25 million tonnes grading 0.45 % Li2O (0.15 % Li cutoff), based on re-analysis and re-interpretation of historical drilling and underground sampling at Sadisdorf.
This result substantially enhances the potential for progressing the historical Sadisdorf tin mine to a polymetallic deposit with value contributions from lithium, tin and tungsten, as well as potentially from a range of by-products such as potassium sulphate fertilizer and sodium silicate. With SiLeach(R), Lithium Australia has developed an innovative hydrometallurgical technology which is able to produce such by-products and thereby unlock the full resource potential of the deposit.
Preliminary SiLeach(R) testwork on the Sadisdorf outer greisen material returned encouraging results, with lithium leach extractions of zinnwaldite concentrates averaging 95 %.
This maiden lithium Mineral Resource estimate of the Sadisdorf project is in addition to the already existing JORC (2012) compliant tin Mineral Resource of 3.36 million tonnes grading 0.44 % Sn (0.25% Sn cutoff) whereby the modelled lithium and tin Mineral Resource estimates partially overlap.
Adrian Griffin, Managing Director of Lithium Australia commented: "Our previous testing demonstrates, that SiLeach(R) can unlock the potential of Sadisdorf as a true polymetallic operation, recovering lithium from the residues of conventional tin concentration processes. The size of the Sadisdorf resource is already significant, with the potential to feed a 25,000 tonnes per annum lithium carbonate plant for 10 years. Further exploration is likely to expand the resource significantly. It is noteworthy that Sadisdorf has similar grades to those of the nearby Cinovec deposit (Czech Republic) and is not far from the Zinnwald deposit of Deutsche Lithium GmbH. All of these deposits have similar characteristics, making them difficult, if not impossible, to commercialize using conventional lithium processing technology - SiLeach(R) provides the solution."
Mannheim, 7 December 2017
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