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Lithium development company, Critical Resources Limited (ASX:CRR) (“Critical Resources” or “the Company”) is pleased announce further exceptional spodumene-bearing pegmatite intercepts from recent drilling at Mavis Lake1. Additionally, the results identify a new mineralised zone located~300m south of the Main Zone at Company’s 100% owned Mavis Lake Lithium Project in Ontario, Canada.
Highlights
- Step-out drilling, of newly permitted drill pads, has intersected significant spodumene- bearing pegmatites, approximately 300m south of the Main Zone
- Logging of core from the South Zone identifies very-high concentrations of spodumene up to 45% over lengths greater than 6m.
- Highlights include:
- Drill hole SZ23-002: 6.8m of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from 72.4m down hole;
- Drill hole SZ23-004: 9.45m of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from 111.85m down hole; and
- Drill hole SZ23-010: 6.45m of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from 208.05m down hole
- Main Zone drilling continues to intersect thick intervals of spodumene-bearing pegmatite, proving down dip continuation of the Main Zone
- Highlights include:
- Drill hole MF23-190: 14.7m of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from 167.6m down hole, and 20.05m of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from 251.5m down hole;
- Drill hole MF23-189: 17.65m of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from 167.6m down hole; and
- Drill hole MF22-188: 16.15m of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from 165.1m down hole
- Drilling continues to expand the known area of lithium mineralisation at Mavis Lake, with all results supporting the development of the Company’s JORC 2012 compliant, Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate
Drilling Program Delivers Continued Success
The Company recommenced drilling in early January 2023 with two drill rigs focusing on different areas at Mavis Lake. The recent results extend the known mineralisation of the Main Zone down dip, and confirms that mineralisation remains open at depth. The results also confirms a new mineralisation area to the south of the Main Zone. The successful drilling of the South Zone highlights the continued potential for scale and growth at Mavs Lake with multiple, mapped, spodumene- bearing outcrops yet to be drill tested.
All drill results will be incorporated in a Maiden Mineral Resources Estimate which is currently being developed. Tables 1 and 2 provide a summary of key intercepts, with full exploration results in Appendix 1.
Table 1 – Key spodumene-bearing pegmatite intersections and estimates of spodumene percentage confirmed through visual estimate (South Zone)1
Figure 1 – SZ23-004 core with fine to large white spodumene laths from 111.85m to 121.3m
Future Work
The Company continues drilling at Mavis Lake and has also commenced baseline technical and environmental studies and assessments to support the preparation of a Scoping Study for the Mavis Lake Project.
The Company is awaiting assays from samples collected from over 50 individual drill holes (including samples generated from drilling in late 2022).
Critical Resources’ Managing Director Alex Cheeseman said:
“These are further great results from Mavis Lake, identifying a new mineralisation zone has the ability to significantly increase the scale potential of the project, and is extremely encouraging.
These results reinforce the Company's commitment to conduct comprehensive, large scale drilling programs throughout 2022 and continuing in 2023.
We look forward to further develop our understanding of the mineralisation at Mavis Lake and adding these results to our pending Mineral Resource Estimate.”
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Critical Resources Limited, 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.
CRR:AU
Next Generation DLE Provider Electralith Produces 99.9% Pure Battery-Grade Lithium Hydroxide from Mandrake Brine
Highlights
- Rio Tinto-backed Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) and Refining company ElectraLith has successfully produced 99.9% pure battery-grade Lithium Hydroxide from Mandrake’s 100%-owned Utah Lithium Project using it’s cutting-edge DLE-R process
- Requiring no water or chemicals, ElectraLith’s Direct Lithium Extraction and Refining (DLE-R) process has greatly enhanced the potential of the Utah Lithium Project
- The production of battery-grade Lithium Hydroxide direct from brine revolutionises DLE by skipping the conventional interim step of producing lithium carbonate using costly, carbon intensive converters
- Mandrake and ElectraLith progressing a Strategic Partnership Agreement to facilitate the construction of a DLE-R pilot facility at the Utah Lithium Project
Figure 1: DLE-R - Production of Lithium Hydroxide directly from Utah Lithium Project brine
ElectraLith's DLE and Refining (DLE-R) technology processed brines in parallel from both Mandrake’s Utah Lithium Project and Rio Tinto’s globally significant Rincon lithium brine project in Argentina.
Spun out of Monash University and backed by Rio Tinto and IP Group Australia, ElectraLith’s DLE-R is emerging as one of the cleanest, fastest, most versatile and cost-efficient methods of extracting and refining lithium. It’s proprietary electro-membrane technology requires no water or chemicals and can run entirely on renewable power, making it ideal for the water and resource constrained Paradox Basin.
Mandrake sent ElectraLith brines from the Lisbon B-912 well - one of the lower lithium concentration bulk samples from sampling activities undertaken in December 2023. The Lisbon B-912 brines contained 65.6mg/L lithium whilst the Big Indian #1 well (bulk sample sent to DLE provider Electroflow – results expected shortly) brines contained lithium concentrations of 147mg/L. Please see Mandrake’s ASX release of 22 January 2024 and Table 1 attached for further details.
ElectraLith’s work represents the groundbreaking production of Lithium Hydroxide direct from Mandrake’s Utah Lithium Project brines. It also confirms DLE-R’s ability to do so without consuming water or chemicals, greatly enhancing the potential of the Utah Lithium Project.
The ability of ElectraLith’s DLE-R technology to produce battery grade Lithium Hydroxide directly from brine revolutionises DLE by completely circumventing the conventional interim steps of lithium processing, being the production of lithium chloride and lithium carbonate, which often involves the use of costly, carbon intensive converters.
The relationship between ElectraLith and Mandrake is non-exclusive, enabling Mandrake to continue exploring and assessing other competing DLE technologies. To that end, Mandrake is currently awaiting test results from bulk brine samples sent to the Bill Gates-backed US- based DLE company Electroflow (see ASX release dated 22 December 2023).
Figure 2: James Allchurch (Mandrake), Dr SJ Oosthuizen (ElectraLith) and Charles MacGill (ElectraLith) at ElectraLith’s
Managing Director James Allchurch commented:
‘DLE technology is absolutely critical to the future of lithium and the broader global energy transition. Our research into this innovative technology has been comprehensive, quickly identifying ElectraLith as one of the leaders in the field. The ability for ElectraLith’s DLE-R to produce Lithium Hydroxide directly from brine using limited power, no water and no chemicals is revolutionary in the DLE space, putting Mandrake’s US-based brine asset in a commanding position.
I look forward to concluding a partnership agreement with ElectraLith which will facilitate the construction of a DLE-R facility at Mandrake’s Utah Lithium Project.
Furthermore, the maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the Utalh Lithium Project is well advanced, and I look forward to updating the market when complete.’
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Mandrake Resources, 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.
Pursuit Minerals: Tier 1 Lithium Play in the Prolific Lithium Triangle in Argentina
Pursuit Minerals Ltd. (ASX:PUR), a top-tier lithium exploration and development company focuses on its flagship Rio Grande Sur lithium project in the Salta Province of Argentina. Rio Grande Sur lithium project is located in an area known as the Lithium Triangle which hosts 50 percent of the global lithium resources and 40 percent of the current global lithium production.
Rio Grande Sur lithium project spans an area of 9,260 hectares on the Rio Grande Salar and is adjacent to several operating lithium mines and development operations, including Acradium Lithium’s Fenix lithium mine and the Olaroz lithium mine.
Drill cores and packer lithium brine samples from Pursuit’s Stage 1 drilling program at the Rio Grande Sur Project.Pursuit is also focused on the production of lithium carbonate to meet the supply side response to growing lithium demand. Recently, the company announced the first phase of operations of its 250 tons per annum (tpa) pilot plant to produce lithium carbonate. The plant will generate both technical and battery grade lithium carbonate at a purity of 99.95 percent, employing a conventional evaporation process.
Company Highlights
- Pursuit Minerals is an ASX-listed company focused on advancing a pre-production lithium brine operation in Argentina.
- The company’s flagship Rio Grande Sur project covers 9,233 hectares on the Rio Grande Salar, in the Salta Province of Argentina located in the Lithium Triangle. The region is home to 50 percent of global lithium resources and 40 percent of world production.
- The acreage owned by Pursuit is situated within an Ni 43-101 inferred resource of 2.1 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), with an average grade of 370 milligrams per litre (mg/L) extending to a depth of 100 metres.
- Pursuit delivered a maiden JORC Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 251.3 kt LCE at 351 mg/L at the Rio Grande Sur Project. With its current Stage 1 drilling program currently underway, Pursuit is targeting a material resource upgrade in the second quarter of 2024, which will build on the recent inferred maiden resource.
- The company has commenced the first phase of operations to produce lithium carbonate at its recently commissioned pilot plant, which is expected to achieve an operational capacity of 250 tons per annum (tpa). This is a significant milestone in the journey to advance toward the first production at Rio Grande Sur.
- Despite temporary fluctuations in lithium carbonate prices, the market continues to demonstrate resilience, with long-term projections indicating a significant 225 percent surge to reach 2.6 million tons of LCE worldwide by 2030.
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