Formation Metals Produces Cobalt Sulphate Heptahydrate Crystals Suitable for the Rechargeable Battery Sector

Formation Metals Inc. (TSX:FCO,OTCQX:FMETF) announced it has completed initial bench test production of cobalt sulphate heptahydrate crystals suitable for the rechargeable battery sector from ore samples from its Idaho cobalt project.
As quoted in the press release:

This metallurgical advancement represents the culmination of a year-long testing program designed to demonstrate that high purity, battery grade cobalt sulfate could be produced from Formation’s Idaho Cobalt Project (“ICP”) ore and was recently verified by General Electric’s Water and Process Technologies’ (“GE”) group.
Under the terms of a MoU, GE is to supply the equipment for the crystallizer sections of the ICP’s Cobalt Process Facility (“CPF”), while Formation will utilize Cytec Industries Inc.’s (“Cytec”) reagents in the solvent extraction of cobalt used to purify solutions for GE equipment to produce high purity cobalt sulfate heptahydrate crystals.
The successful completion of this pilot study utilized one of Cytec’s CYANEX reagents to produce a cobalt rich solution suitable for the production of battery grade cobalt salts. This work involved the substitution of sodium hydroxide for magnesium oxide as the neutralizing base compound. The switch from sodium hydroxide to magnesium oxide resulted in a reduction of waste products and the potential to realize additional revenues through sales of by-product magnesium sulfate. This environmentally responsive approach to plant design exemplifies Formation’s commitment to its Corporate Social Responsibilities’ core values. Through this testing, two of the key process steps, cobalt solvent extraction from Cytec, and crystallization from GE, performed as required in support of the Formation’s, 2015 Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) dated April 29, 2015.

Formation Metals President and CEO, Paul Farquharson, stated:

Thanks to the many participants in the flowsheet development and testing steps that included in-house consultants, Samuel Engineering Inc., Irish Metals llc, Hazen Research, Cytec, and GE, Formation has demonstrated it can successfully produce high purity, battery grade cobalt sulfate from ICP ore.
We are pleased with Samuel’s recommendations to advance the project to the Definitive Feasibility Study level. We look forward to working closely with GE and Cytec to further demonstrate to end users that Formation is capable of producing an essential raw material critical to this growing rechargeable battery revolution in an ethically and environmentally responsible manner.

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