The Conversation (0)
CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL,FWB:T2N,OTC:CTLHF)) envisions being the greenest lithium supplier to the electric vehicle (EV) market by using direct lithium extraction (DLE) - a low-impact, low-carbon and low-water method of extracting lithium from brine – powered by renewable energy sources. The company has three large lithium assets with an estimated two million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in Chile’s Lithium Triangle, a world-renowned mining-friendly jurisdiction.
The company’s assets are all located in Chile and amenable to eco-friendly development. Laguna Verde, CleanTech’s flagship asset, is poised for near-term green lithium production by the end of 2025 with a resource estimate of 1.5 million tonnes of LCE. The company’s second flagship asset is Francisco Basin, approximately 100 km south of Laguna Verde. JORC-compliant inferred resource estimated 0.5 million tonnes of LCE. Both projects are 4,200+ meters above sea level, meaning there is minimal risk to biodiversity and impact on local communities. The company's third asset is the Llamara Project, a green-fields project located in the Antofagasta region and is around 600 km north of Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin. The area totalling 344 square kilometers located in the Pampa del Tamarugal basin, which is one of the largest basins in the lithium triangle.
CleanTech Lithium is committed to an ESG-led approach and supporting its downstream partners by producing the greenest lithium to the market. As a result, the company will use renewable energy and the eco-friendly direct lithium extraction (DLE) process throughout its projects. DLE is widely considered the best option for lithium brine extraction that makes the least environmental impact. No evaporation ponds, no carbon intensive processes and reduced levels of water consumption. In recognition, Chile’s government plans to prioritize DLE for all new lithium projects.
Company Highlights
- CleanTech Lithium is an exploration and development company with three notable lithium projects in Chile, totaling >500km2 licensed areas and lithium resources exceeding 2 million tonnes LCE
- The company aims to become the greenest lithium supplier to the EV market by adopting environmental and social sound practices throughout its assets and culture.
- Chile is quickly becoming a global leader in clean energy, which enables the company to take advantage of the existing renewable power throughout its operations
- The company will use DLE, a proven* method for extracting lithium brine that minimizes environmental impact and reduces production time, resulting in high quality battery grade lithium
- CleanTech Lithium’s flagship projects Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin are located nearby reliable renewable power sources and transport infrastructure that can support the scalability of each project.
- The company’s third highly prospective asset, Llamara, is undergoing exploration and represents blue-sky opportunities for additional lithium discoveries.
- This is being led by an experienced management team with the right blend of expertise leads the company towards its goals of supplying the growing EV market with eco-friendly lithium,
- Underpinned by an established ESG-led approach - a critical priority for governments introducing regulations that require a cleaner supply chain to reach net-zero targets.
- DLE plants operating successfully in Argentina and China
This CleanTech Lithium profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
CTL:HF
CleanTech Lithium Investor Kit
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects
GET YOUR FREE INVESTOR KIT
CleanTech Lithium
Overview
CleanTech Lithium (CTL) (AIM:CTL,FWB:T2N,OTC:CTLHF) is a resource exploration and development company with four lithium assets with an estimated 2.7 million tonnes (Mt) of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in Chile’s Lithium Triangle, a world-renowned mining-friendly jurisdiction. The company’s mission is to be a leading supplier of ‘green’ lithium to the electric vehicle (EV) market by using direct lithium extraction (DLE) – a low-impact, low-carbon and low-water method of extracting lithium from brine – powered by renewable energy sources.
Lithium demand is soaring as a result of a rapidly expanding EV market. One study estimates the world needs 2 billion EVs on the road to meet global net-zero goals. Yet, the gap between supply and demand continues to widen. As the world races to secure new supplies of the critical mineral, Chile has emerged as an ideal investment jurisdiction with mining-friendly regulations and a skilled local workforce to drive towards a clean green economy.
With an experienced team in natural resources CleanTech Lithium holds itself accountable to a responsible ESG-led approach, a critical advantage for governments and major car manufacturers looking to secure a cleaner supply chain.
The company’s assets are all located in Chile and amenable to eco-friendly development. Laguna Verde, CleanTech’s flagship asset, is poised for near-term green lithium production by the end of 2025, with a resource estimate of 1.8 Mt of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). Approximately 100 kilometers south of Laguna Verde is the company’s second flagship asset, Francisco Basin, with a JORC-compliant inferred resource estimate of 0.5 Mt of LCE. Both projects are more than 4,200 meters above sea level posing minimal risk to biodiversity and impact on local communities.
The Llamara Project is a greenfields asset located in the Antofagasta region and is around 600 kilometers north of Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin. The area totalling 344 square kilometers is located in the Pampa del Tamarugal basin, one of the largest basins in the lithium triangle.
CleanTech Lithium is committed to an ESG-led approach and supporting its downstream partners by producing the greenest lithium in the market. In line with this, the company will use renewable energy and the eco-friendly DLE process across its projects. DLE is widely considered the best option for lithium brine extraction that makes the least environmental impact, with no evaporation ponds, no carbon-intensive processes and reduced levels of water consumption. In recognition, Chile’s government plans to prioritize DLE for all new lithium projects.
Chile is rapidly becoming a world-leader in renewable energy and has ambitious goals of converting 70 percent of its total energy consumption to renewables by 2030. This strategy provides CleanTech the opportunity to power its Chile operations with clean energy. The country has the most lithium reserves globally, with 9.3 million metric tonnes.
CTL’s experienced management team, with expertise throughout the natural resources industry, leads the company towards its goal of producing green lithium for the EV market. Expertise includes geology, lithium extraction engineering and corporate administration.
Company Highlights
- CleanTech Lithium is a lithium exploration and development company with four notable lithium projects in Chile, totaling more than 1,250 square kilometers of licensed areas and lithium resources exceeding 2.7 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent.
- The company aims to become a leading supplier of ‘green’ lithium to the EV market through environmentally and socially sound practices across its assets and corporate culture.
- Chile is quickly becoming a global leader in clean energy, which enables the company to take advantage of the existing renewable power throughout its operations.
- The company will leverage direct lithium extraction (DLE), a proven* method for extracting lithium brine that minimizes environmental impact and reduces production time, resulting in high-quality, battery-grade lithium.
- The company has a DLE pilot plant being assembled at a warehouse facility in Copiapó, Chile, which will be up and running by early 2024.
- CleanTech Lithium’s flagship projects, Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin, are located near reliable renewable power sources and transport infrastructure that can support the scalability of each project.
- The company’s third highly prospective asset, Llamara, is undergoing exploration and represents blue-sky opportunities for additional lithium discoveries. The latest project area is in the Salar de Atacama which holds the largest lithium reserves in the world. Initial geophysical work is underway.
- An experienced management team with the right blend of expertise leads the company towards its goal of supplying the growing EV market with eco-friendly lithium,
- CleanTech’s operations are underpinned by an established ESG-focused approach - a critical priority for governments introducing regulations that require a cleaner supply chain to reach net-zero targets.
*DLE plants operating successfully in Argentina and China
Key Projects
Laguna Verde Lithium Project
The company’s flagship Laguna Verde asset covers 15.2 square kilometers with a prolific JORC-compliant resource estimate and is on course for near-term production by late 2025. The project is also ideally located for transporting lithium, with a paved highway running from the project to the major mining center of Copiapó.
Project Highlights:
- Near-term Production Path: CleanTech has completed a four-well drilling program in 2022 and is moving towards production by late 2025. A scoping study was completed in December 2022, and the company is now undertaking a pre-feasibility study (PFS).
- Prolific JORC-compliant Resource Estimate: As of July 2023, the asset's current JORC-compliant resource estimate has an indicated upgraded estimate of 1.8 million tonnes of LCE at a grade of 200 mg/L lithium. This upgrade includes a significant increase (39 percent) in the measured and indicated resource to 1.1 million tonnes LCE, including a large increase (174 percent) in the measured resource.
- Environmentally Friendly Extraction: The company’s asset is amenable to DLE. Instead of sending lithium brine to evaporation ponds, DLE uses a unique process where resin extracts lithium from brine, and then re-injects the brine back into the aquifer, with minimal depletion of the resources. The DLE process reduces the impact on environment, water consumption levels and production time compared with evaporation ponds and hard-rock mining methods.
- DLE Pilot Plant: CTL ordered the US$2-million DLE pilot plant from Sunresin in Q1 2023 designed for process optimization. The pilot plant also aims to produce a purified concentrated eluate that will feed the downstream process to deliver 1 tonne per month of LCE for product qualification by potential offtakers and strategic partners. Commissioning of the plant is expected to be finalized in Q4 2023.
Francisco Basin Lithium Project
CleanTech Lithium’s secondary asset covers 110 square kilometers, with a current resource estimate indicating high-grade lithium for the global battery market. The company will soon begin its second drill campaign to extend known deposits further.
Project Highlights:
- New 2022 Lithium Discovery: Recently completed brine samples from the initial drill campaign indicate an average lithium grade of 305 mg/L.
- JORC-compliant Estimate: Based on completed assays, the inferred resource estimate was recently upgraded from 0.5 Mt to 0.92 Mt of LCE at an average grade of 207 mg/L lithium, which now includes 0.44 million tonnes at an average grade of 221 mg/L lithium in the indicated category.
- Additional Drilling Scheduled: CleanTech Lithium will soon begin its second drill campaign to extend known deposits and will then proceed with a pre-feasibility study.
Llamara Lithium Project
The Llamara project is one of the largest greenfield basins in the Lithium Triangle, covering 344 square kilometers of claims that have never been drilled. However, historical exploration results indicate blue-sky potential, prompting the company to pursue additional exploration.
Project Highlights:
- Promising Historical Exploration: The asset has never been drilled; however, salt crust surface samples indicate up to 3,100 parts per million lithium. Additionally, historical geophysics lines indicate a large hypersaline aquifer. Both of these exploration results indicate potential for significant future discoveries.
- Close Proximity to Existing Operations: The Llamara project is near other known deposits:
- Atacama (SQM / Abarmale): 18,100 square kilometers
- Hombre (Muerto Livent): 4,000 square kilometers
- Pampa del Tamarugal (CleanTech): 17,150 square kilometers
Management Team
Steve Kesler - Executive Chairman and Interim CEO
Steve Kesler has 45 years of executive and board roles experience in the mining sector across all major capital markets including AIM. Direct lithium experience as CEO/director of European Lithium and Chile experience with Escondida and as the first CEO of Collahuasi.
Gordon Stein - Chief Financial Officer
Gordon Stein is a commercial CFO with over 30 years of expertise in the energy, natural resources and other sectors in both executive and non-executive director roles. As a chartered accountant, he has worked with start-ups to major companies, including board roles of six LSE companies.
Tommy McKeith - Independent Non-executive Director
Tommy McKeith is an experienced public company director and geologist with over 30 years of mining company leadership, corporate development, project development and exploration experience. He's held roles in an international mining company and across several ASX-listed mining companies. McKeith currently serves as non-executive director of Evolution Mining and as non-executive chairman of Arrow Minerals. Having worked in bulk, base and precious metals across numerous jurisdictions, including operations in Canada, Africa, South America and Australia, McKeith brings strategic insights to CTL with a strong focus on value creation.
Jonathan Morley-Kirk - Senior Independent Non-executive Director
Jonathan Morley-Kirk brings 30 years of experience, including 17 years in non-executive director roles with expertise in financial controls, audit, remuneration, capital raisings and taxation/structuring.
Maha Daoudi - Non-executive Director
Maha Daoudi has more than 20 years of experience holding several Board and senior-level positions across commodities, energy transition, finance and tech-related industries, including a senior role with leading commodity trader, Trafigura. Daoudi holds expertise in offtake agreements, developing international alliances and forming strategic partnerships.
Dermot Boylan - Group Financial Controller
Dermot Boyla is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland. Dermot brings extensive international, technical, corporate and commercial finance experience from the natural resources sector and more recently from within the small-cap AIM-listed corporate environment.
Alvaro Florez - Legal Manager
Alvaro Florez Keim joins CTL as legal manager in Chile. Alvaro is a lawyer qualified in Chile and Australia, with 12 years of experience focused on mining, corporate matters and project development in Chile and Australia.
Marcela Sepúlveda - Community Relations Manager
Marcela Sepúlveda is a professional with more than 15 years of experience in areas related to community development, with focus on the development of local skills, promotion of territorial development and the creation of public, private and community alliances. Worked in the mining industry, mainly in the Atacama Region and in the NGO sector.
Rodrigo Rivas - DLE Processes Manager
Rodrigo Rivas is a metallurgical engineer with extensive experience in quality management, processes and production of lithium carbonate and hydroxide plants. He was directly responsible for the start and development of battery-grade lithium production at SQM and Orocobre.
Geraldine Carmona - Finance Manager
Geraldine Carmona joins CTL as finance manager in Chile and is a certified public accountant in both Venezuela and Chile. Geraldine gained extensive experience from her time at PwC and KPMG. Since moving from practice to industry, Geraldine has focused on working with environmental and renewable energy companies in Chile.
Sabine Macaya - Operations Manager
Sabine Macaya is an industrial engineer and mathematician with more than 25 years of experience in operations of multinational companies from different industries such as mining, retail, pharmaceuticals, achieving successful results leading to an ascending career to corporate level.
Forward Water Technologies
Overview
Forward Water Technologies (TSXV:FWTC) is helping lithium mining companies and other industries reduce their environmental impact through its innovative wastewater treatment technology that enables industrial operations to reduce liquid waste volume by up to 95 percent.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings continue to be a key business strategy for organizations as they impact public perception and partnership possibilities. For water-intensive industries, such as mining, sustainable wastewater management is critical.
Transformative wastewater technologies are critical for both businesses and the world’s population. In fact, unless sufficient progress is achieved, UNICEF and WHO estimate that 1.6 billion people will be without access to safe drinking water by 2030, and 2.8 billion will be without access to safe sanitation and hygiene. Water treatment technologies can disrupt current trends and improve global access to safe drinking water.
Through its Forward Osmosis (FO) technology, Forward Water is providing an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional wastewater disposal. Traditionally, wastewater disposal requires transporting untreated wastewater for deep well disposal or high-intensity thermal treatment.
Forward Water’s FO system is installed at the client site, and wastewater is treated to reduce waste volume and produce valuable clean water for reuse in the manufacturing process. Then, the significantly reduced volume of wastewater is transported and disposed of, significantly saving on transportation and disposal costs.
The FO technology targets three massive sectors: industrial wastewater, mining and food manufacturing. Forward Water’s unique and patented FO technology achieves high-rate water extraction within a low-energy continuous process. The process reduces waste and allows up to 95 percent water recovery, ready for reuse.
Forward Water’s Li-FO™ technology is ideal for lithium-brine mining operations, allowing mines to “fine tune” brine sources to improve concentration by up to 20 times. This results in improved recovery and makes lower-concentration brines economically viable. Forward Water is currently embarking on an early development testing project to further evaluate and refine the technology’s viability in lithium mining.
In 2023, the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Forward Water Technologies Inc., licensed specific intellectual property from FUJIFILM Corporation to solidify the protection of its water treatment technology platform.
CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL,Frankfurt:T2N,OTC:CTLHF) has contracted FWT to provide advisory services for the support and development of CleanTech Lithium's direct lithium extraction (DLE) process in Chile. The collaboration will use FWT’s industrial forward osmosis system in the hyper-concentrating of CleanTech Lithium's eluate and its conversion into battery-grade lithium carbonate through Conductive Energy's DLE process.
Howie Honeyman, CEO, explained in an interview how the company’s technology can improve lithium mining operations. “A lot of lithium being mined today around the world is coming from underground aquifers that store the lithium brine. The challenge is that the lithium is surrounded by other minerals and salts, requiring chemical ‘tweezers’ to pluck out that lithium. What we can do is, at multiple places in that process, we can concentrate that lithium-containing water stream, which makes it far easier for these miners to handle the volumes they need to extract that lithium.”
An experienced management team with technical expertise leads the company towards further refining and deploying its technology. The team includes experts in materials science, chemistry and engineering. Additional experts in corporate administration and financing round out the leadership team to lead the company toward its goals.
Company Highlights
- Forward Water Technologies has developed a patented wastewater treatment technology that reduces wastewater volume and improves reusability across multiple industries, including mining and food manufacturing.
- The company’s Forward Osmosis (FO) technology disrupts the traditional method of wastewater disposal by reducing the amount of waste that must be transported and disposed of, directly reducing costs.
- The FO technology also improves water reusability by up to 95 percent, reducing the expense of importing water for industrial processes.
- The Forward Water Technologies Li-FO™ process is applicable in the lithium mining sector by improving concentration by up to 20 times, allowing organizations to improve extraction efficiency.
- The company has partnered with a lithium-brine extraction operation to evaluate its Li-FO™ technology.
- Forward Water Technologies is in early negotiations to deliver an FWTC forward osmosis pilot system on-site in Chile to support a customer's lithium extraction process.
- Forward Water Technologies has licensed specific intellectual property from FUJIFILM Corporation to solidify the protection of its water treatment technology platform.
- The company has been contracted by CleanTech Lithium to provide advisory services for the support and development of CleanTech Lithium's direct lithium extraction processes in Chile.
- An experienced management team with a blend of relevant technical expertise leads the company toward refining and marketing its technology.
Key Project
Forward Osmosis Water Treatment
Forward Osmosis is a naturally occurring process in which water is spontaneously drawn across a membrane when one solution is higher in salt concentration than the other. The difference in salinity, known as the osmotic gradient, creates a low-energy water treatment process.
Forward Water Technologies has leveraged the naturally occurring process to innovate its patented, three-step FO technology, enabling a 95 percent wastewater reduction and 95 percent water recovery.
Project Highlights:
- Patented Three-Step Process: Forward Water Technologies FO process achieves low-energy and high-rate water extraction with a unique three-step design:
- Water Extraction: Water is drawn across the FO membrane into a salt draw solution. The combination of the patented draw solution and unique membrane “locks” the draw solution on one side of the membrane, creating a true closed-loop process.
- Water/Salt Separation: Next, a switchable water salt (SWS) achieves water/salt separation as low-grade heat is applied, and it phases from liquid to gas. As the gas leaves the solution, clean water is left behind. The energy necessary for this step is often found in many facilities in the form of waste heat.
- Salt Draw Reconcentration: Finally, as the gas leaves the solution, it is captured within the closed-loop system and is passively cooled, causing it to phase back into liquid form as an SWS. The SWS liquid is collected and recycled back to the front of the membranes in the water extraction step, creating a continuous process.
- Widely Applicable Water Treatment: The low-energy process allows organizations across several industries to improve water reclamation and reduce wastewater by up to 95 percent. Additionally, the process allows for up to 20 times concentration, making the process amenable to lithium-brine extraction and other potential applications.
- Significant Cost Savings: The primary value proposition for the FO process is cost reduction in wastewater transportation and disposal. With the process in place, more water is reclaimed for reuse in manufacturing, which reduces the raw volume of wastewater that must be transported and disposed of.
Management Team
Howie Honeyman - Chief Executive Officer and President
Dr. Howie Honeyman has 20 years of experience commercializing new technologies at Xerox, Cabot, E Ink, Natrix Separations and as former CTO of GreenCentre Canada. Honeyman commercialized high-capacity, high-throughput membranes for bioprocessing as SVP of Natrix Separations, which has since been acquired by Millipore-Sigma. Since 2015, Honeyman has been leading Forward Water to become a premier wastewater treatment solution. Honeyman is also an inventor of record on over 50 US patents and holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Toronto.
Michael Willetts - Chief Financial Officer
Michael Willetts has over 25 years in financial leadership roles primarily in manufacturing, from large multinational businesses to startups, both public and private. He previously worked as an engineer in the automotive industry before entering into finance at Ford Motor Company. Willets went on to progressively larger finance roles in several international automotive suppliers (Textron, GKN, DSM) and Canadian manufacturers (Armtec, Stronach International, AirBoss of America). Willetts is currently providing fractional CFO services through WD Numeric Corporate Services in the manufacturing, SaaS and cannabis industries. Willetts graduated with a BASc, BComm and MBA from the University of Windsor.
Wayne Maddever - Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Wayne Maddever received his Ph.D. in materials science engineering from the University of Toronto. Since 1985, he has held senior executive management positions with technically based businesses in start-up, turnaround or acquisition situations where his skills in change management have brought considerable success in the commercialization of new technologies. His experience in both private and public companies, domestically and internationally, spans a broad variety of industries, including bio and advanced materials, precision manufacturing, recycling, waste-to-energy and medical devices. He holds a number of patents in several fields. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In addition to his duties as COO of Forward Water, he is currently portfolio manager at Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, one of the major shareholders of Forward Water.
Grant Thornley - VP Engineering Solution Sales
Grant Thornley is a business strategist with more than 25 years of experience. He has developed and grown international water/wastewater markets through innovative growth hacking techniques and processes, synergized with product development and positioning, data analytics and acceleration of go-to-market strategies through alliances and partnerships. Having expertise in chemical, mechanical and biological treatment processes as well as designing hundreds of municipal and industrial applications, Thornley brings a knowledge-to-action approach to helping clients solve problems and realize new opportunities in water reuse, energy conservation and CO2 reduction.
Leonard Seed - Director of Engineering & Operations
Leonard Seed has over 18 years of experience developing and commercializing new water and wastewater treatment technologies, primarily in a start-up environment. Seed is named as an inventor on over seven patents and has authored several publications. Seed is a professional engineer and has an MSc in environmental engineering from the University of Guelph. Leonard holds inventorship on seven US patents and is an instructor at Mohawk College teaching aspects of water treatment technologies and leading research efforts on forward osmosis.
Philip Jessop - Executive Research Director
Dr. Philip Jessop is a professor and Canada Research Chair of Green Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He also serves as the technical director of GreenCentre Canada and executive research director at Forward Water Technologies. After his Ph.D. (British Columbia, 1991) and a postdoctoral appointment (Toronto, 1992), he became a contract researcher in Japan working for R. Noyori (Nobel Prize 2001). As a professor at the University of California-Davis (1996-2003) and since then at Queen’s, he has studied green solvents and the chemistry of carbon dioxide. Distinctions include the NSERC Polanyi Award (2008), Killam Research Fellowship (2010), Canadian Green Chemistry & Engineering Award (2012), Eni Award (2013), Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada (2013), a Canada Research Chair Tier 1 (2013 to 2020), and the NSERC Brockhouse Prize (2019). He serves as chair of the editorial board for the journal Green Chemistry, has chaired three international conferences, and helped create GreenCentre Canada, a national center of excellence for the commercialization of green chemistry technologies. Forward Water is a spin-off company based on Dr. Jessop’s switchable solvents.
Quarterly Activities Report for the Period Ended 31 March 2024
Highlights
Solonópole Project, Ceará, Brazil
- Anomalous lithium values above 100 ppm (and up to 631 ppm) found in 383 soil samples within existing and new target areas.
- Integration and interpretation of these soil sample results with data from geophysics, geological mapping (138 line-km), trenching and RC drilling (~2,000m) further enhance prospectivity of existing and new targets.
- Combined datasets confirmed several swarms of pegmatite bodies striking in a NE-SW and E-W directions and identified new high priority areas.
- Nira interpreted to be the most prospective new target, with 180 soil samples of >100 ppm Li and as high as 524 ppm Li covering an area of at least 1km2.
- Nira also features 17 pegmatite outcrops with average widths of up to 30 meters and strike lengths from 200m to 600m.
- Planning for the next follow-up drilling campaign is underway.
Napperby Project, Northern Territory, Australia
- Oceana’s Napperby Project covers some of Arunta Province’s hottest granites plutons, the Wangala Granite (uranium) and Ennugan Mountains Granite (uranium/thorium).
- Both granite plutons show outstanding uranium/thorium ratios and are almost fully encapsulated within Napperby’s EL32836 and ELA32841.
- Follow-up exploration activities will target uranium and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in parallel with Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum (LCT) pegmatites.
Corporate
- Experienced geologist and mining executive, Aidan Platel, appointed as non- executive director.
- Brazilian-based geologist, Mike Sousa, appointed as Exploration Manager and Competent Person.
- The Company remains well-funded with cash at 31 March of ~$2.67m.
OPERATIONS
Solonópole Project, Ceará State, Brazil
The Solonópole Project area is located in the state of Ceará, north-eastern Brazil and consists of ten (10) exploration permits covering approximately 124km2 (Figure 1), owned by Oceana’s subsidiary Ceará Litio. The project is approximately three to four hours by road from the state capital Fortaleza and deep-water port of Pecém, and is well serviced by sealed highways and high voltage electricity.
Figure 1: Solonópole Project permits and targets drilled in May – June 2023 (red dots)
Large-Scale Soil Sampling and Geological Mapping at Solonópole Lithium Project
The large-scale infill soil sampling program that commenced in March 2023 continued over the project area (Figure 2). The optimized sampling grids are along 200m spaced lines with 25m sampling stations, aligned north south to cut across all typical pegmatite strike directions in this area.
As at 31 March 2024, over 10,300 soil samples had been collected from Solonópole and 8,741 soil samples had been analysed by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) for Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum (LCT) pathfinders, of which 1,908 soil samples have lab results validated by Oceana´s internal QA/QC. Anomalous lithium values above 100 ppm and up to 631 ppm were found in 383 soil samples within existing and new target areas.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Oceana Lithium, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Results From First Drilling at Abbotts North Confirm LCT System
HIGHLIGHTS
- Assay results from Abbotts North confirm continuation of LCT system
- Focus shifts to targets identified to the north and east of previous drilling
- Field work over these newly identified areas has commenced
- Premier1 is fully funded for second phase exploration in these areas
A total of 11 RC holes for 1,623m were drilled to test the main outcropping pegmatites at the Buttamiah Prospect. Additional studies of the outcropping pegmatites in the larger Buttamiah Prospect area including fractionation vectoring using K/Rb ratios suggest the core of the system to be located to the east of the previous drilling.
In addition, the data indicate that LCT pegmatites occur within the granites to the north of the drill area. Further mapping and sampling of pegmatites in these areas as well as over the remaining tenement package has commenced. Focus is to delineate drill targets of higher grades and greater thickness that have the potential to form a significant lithium deposit within the existing LCT system.
Premier1 is fully funded for any subsequent phase two drilling program.
Figure 1: Cross-section of intercepted pegmatites showing significant results >0.05% Li2O.
Figure 2: Geological map of the Buttamiah Prospect with collar locations of completed RC drilling.
Significant intercepts from RC drilling undertaken on the Abbotts North project in February 2024 are shown in Table 1a. Drill collar details are shown in Table 1b.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Premier1 Lithium, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
CleanTech Lithium Investor Kit
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects