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Australian-owned Firebird Metals Limited (ASX: FRB, Firebird or the Company) is pleased to announce that subsequent to entering into a binding strategic collaboration agreement with Central South University (CSU) of Hunan in October 2024, Firebird and CSU have commenced testing of a combination of solid and co-precipitation methods for the production of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) cathode active material (CAM).
HIGHLIGHTS
- LMFP cathode material testwork is underway at Firebird’s state-of-the-art R&D centre, located in Jinshi, Hunan Province, China. Five batches have been completed, with LMFP button batteries already produced from this early round of testing.
- 100 batches expected to be completed - each batch to be turned into button batteries for full evaluation and analysis. Program being completed with Central South University (CSU) of Hunan, under a binding strategic collaboration agreement.1
- Production of LMFP fits within Firebirds growth strategy of becoming a near-term, low-cost manganese-based cathode material business, to deliver products into the growing electric vehicle battery market.
- Substantial cost advantages expected to flow through to manganese sulphate operating costs through this innovative LMFP production process, which retains manganese sulphate in solution, eliminating the need for sulphate crystallisation, packaging and other ancillary costs.
- Bypassing the packaging and crystallisation steps, combined with reduced handling within sulphate process, will yield a ~32% or US$167/t saving in the projected manganese sulphate operating cost. 2
- Leveraging its unique processing methods and technology, Firebird expects this streamlined approach will not only significantly reduce costs but will result in a higher-quality LMFP product, strengthening Firebird's position in the market.
- Testwork results will be used to undertake a Scoping Study and, once completed, Firebird will assess options to expand the current pilot plant to produce approximately one metric tonne per day of LMFP.
Image 1: Button batteries made with Firebird LMFP. Note: Battery industry standard to conduct battery testing on button batteries
Firebird Managing Director Mr Peter Allen commented:“The commencement of testwork and first production of LMFP batteries with CSU is an exciting and transformative step forward for Firebird in the commercialisation of our LMFP cathode materials, which will ultimately be distributed directly into global battery markets.
“This achievement places Firebird in a very small select group of non-Chinese owned companies (first Australian company) to have produced LMFP batteries. Manganese sulphate is a critical element within LMFP and our manganese processing knowledge and IP enables Firebird to drive significant value by co-precipitation.
“We expect our process to translate into substantial cost advantages in sulphate production by bypassing the manganese sulphate crystallisation process, which is the largest component of our operating cost. This streamlined approach not only reduces costs but also results in a superior quality LMFP product, strengthening our position as a cost-effective, high-quality leader in the market.
“The progress we have made in a short period of time is testament to our dedicated and innovative team and partners who have been instrumental in fast-tracking our journey toward becoming a leading manganese chemical business.
“The production of LMFP batteries is aligned with our growth strategy of establishing Firebird as a leading and low-cost manganese-based cathode material business. We are well-positioned to deliver on this strategy and through our sector leading manganese team and proposed, tier-one manganese sulphate plant, the Company is fully focused on establishing operations and continuing to innovate through our leading technology processes to generate strong stakeholder returns.
“The future for Firebird is very exciting and we look forward to delivering on a busy 2025.”
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This article includes content from Firebird Metals 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.
FRB:AU
Drilling Commences at the Kanowna East Gold Project
Key Points
- High impact drilling has commenced at Kanowna East, targeting basement gold systems at the Western Tiger and Little Lake Prospects, only 25kms NE of Kalgoorlie.
- Program designed to test prospective structural settings and alteration zones along the Reidy Fault and newly recognised northeast gravity trends.
- Targeting the potential source of widespread paleochannel gold occurrences identified from historical drilling.
- Strong cash position of ~$3 million ensures a well-funded campaign and supports strategic exploration momentum.
Figure 1: Ragland Drilling RC Drill Rig at AX8’s Little Lake Prospect, Kanowna East Project.
The 2,000m reverse circulation (RC) program is testing structurally controlled, basement- hosted gold targets at the Western Tiger and Little Lake Prospects (Figure 2). These targets have been selected based on structural complexity, geophysical modelling, and geochemical signatures indicative of gold-bearing systems.
Figure 2: Western Tiger & Little Lake geology interpretation with planned RC drill hole locations (green triangles).
At Western Tiger, drilling is focused on the undrilled western margin of a felsic intrusive unit interpreted to have been emplaced along the Reidy Fault. Sericite alteration, arsenic- antimony pathfinder anomalies, and recent structural reinterpretations highlight the area as a priority for potential gold discovery.
At Little Lake, newly processed gravity data has defined northeast-trending features interpreted to intersect northwest fault systems—structural zones commonly associated with gold mineralisation in the Kalgoorlie district. These trends correlate with previously intercepted basement-hosted gold and offer a compelling test of the Company’s exploration model.
“Commencing drilling at Kanowna East marks an important milestone in Accelerate’s gold strategy,” commented Chief Executive Officer Luke Meter. “We’re testing targets with geological signatures consistent with major orogenic gold systems in the Eastern Goldfields and success could substantially enhance the value of our gold portfolio near Kalgoorlie.”
With a strong financial position, Accelerate remains well-funded to execute its exploration strategy across multiple growth-stage gold assets in WA.
The Company looks forward to updating shareholders as drilling progresses and assays become available.
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This article includes content from Accelerate 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.
Extensions and New Zones of High Grade Tin at Bygoo North
HIGHLIGHTS
- Scale of Bygoo Tin Project continues to grow with the discovery of new zones of tin mineralisation during the Company’s second RC drilling campaign
- Very broad zone of tin mineralisation at the Stewart’s Lode extended along strike with:
- 118m @ 0.32% Sn from 44m in BRC015 (unconstrained internal dilution); including
- 29m @ 0.53% Sn from 44m, including 8m @ 1.17% Sn from 45m
- 12m @ 0.45% Sn from 116m; and
- 28m @ 0.52% Sn from 146m
- Caspin’s maiden drilling at the Smith’s Lode returns further high-grade tin with:
- 16m @ 0.68% Sn from 49m (BRC013); including
- 5m @ 1.73% Sn & 1.45% Cu from 53m;
- Drilling identifies a further new zone of mineralisation named ‘Radius’, between Dumbrell’s and Smith’s, with:
- 16m @ 0.48% Sn from 124m (BRC016); including
- 2m @ 2.05% Sn & 0.37% Cu from 128m
- Wide zones and high-grade tin mineralisation now drilled over +1,000m of granite contact zone with large gaps in drilling and open along strike.
- High resolution aerial magnetic survey covering ~800km2 to commence shortly
Caspin’s Managing Director, Mr Greg Miles, commented “These results are an exciting epilogue to our maiden drilling program at the Bygoo Project. We are delighted with intersecting 16m @ 0.68% Sn in our first drill hole at Smith’s, including a high-grade zone of 5m @ 1.73% Sn, coupled with 1.45% Cu, the highest-grade copper result by Caspin to date. Another 100m-plus intersection of tin mineralisation at Stewart’s also confirms continuity of ‘bulk’ mineralisation, at very shallow depths. And finally, a new zone of tin mineralisation at ‘Radius’ result demonstrates verifies Caspin’s geological model and growing understanding of key controls to tin mineralisation.
“Most importantly, we now recognise the tin mineralisation potential over greater than 1,000m of shallow granite contact strike at Bygoo North. Drilling is quickly demonstrating that Bygoo North has excellent potential to grow into a tin project with substantial scale. Drilling will continue to target new zones of tin mineralisation and extensions of known areas of shallow tin mineralisation along strike.”
Since acquiring the project, the Company has invested considerable time to understand the geology and controls on mineralisation at Bygoo North. Using the previous exploration data as a base and steadily importing other legacy data such as drilling from the 1970s, the Company is developing a new geological model for the prospect. The Ardlethan Granite contact can now be traced over 1,000m at the prospect, with greisen-style mineralisation developed variably along its entirety (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Location plan of mineralisation and relationship to granite contact at Bygoo North, with significant intercepts. The prospective granite horizon represents the potential for greisen mineralisation on the granite contact to approximately 100m below surface.
These latest results provide further evidence that mineralisation is constrained only by drilling. There are obvious additional drill targets for further exploration. A planned high-resolution aerial magnetic survey, commencing in the following weeks, will further assist refinement of the geological model and hence the targeting process, particularly the several kilometres of untested granite contact to the north and south.
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This article includes content from Caspin 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.
Nine Mile Metals Maintains Nine Mile Brook Project Option with Third Anniversary Payment
This successfully allows Nine Mile Metals to keep the Option Agreement in Good Standing and pursue its priority exploration of the Flagship Nine Mile Brook VMS Project and its goal to discover additional High Grade VMS Len's.
The Nine Mile Brook Project consists of 50.02 square kms over 229 mining claims, 10kms west of the World-Famous Brunswick #12 Mine. Below is a summary of the 2022 Drill Program Certified Assay Results, previously announced, displaying the exceptional grades of the Nine Mile Brook Lens. (see Table 1 below)
Table 1: Nine Mile Brook VMS Lens Drill Program Certified Assay Results
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Drill Certified Assays:
(Sample #683512) 18.30 % Cu, 0.40 % Pb, 0.17 % Zn, 119 g/t Ag, 0.84 g/t Au)
(Sample #683542) 15.42% Cu, 2.45% Pb, 2.03% Zn, 173 g/t Ag, 1.05 g/t Au)
(Sample #683534) 16.85% Cu, 0.98% Pb, 0.57% Zn, 125 g/t Ag, 1.13 g/t Au)
"The team is looking forward to returning to Nine Mile Brook in Fall of 2025. With abundant geophysical targets already defined, drill hole selection involves the integration of our extensive datasets including the UAV magnetics, I.P. and Borehole electromagnetics (BHEM) and previous drill hole data, into a 3D model to best leverage the information. The Bathurst Mining Camp is structurally complex and having less than 1% outcrop, the team is committed to following the science and in particular, the advanced geophysics to guide us to success," stated Gary Lohman, VPX & Director.
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About Nine Mile Metals Ltd.:
Nine Mile Metals Ltd. is a Canadian public mineral exploration company focused on Critical Minerals Exploration (CME) VMS (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag and Au) exploration in the world-famous Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada. The Company's primary business objective is to explore its four VMS Projects: Nine Mile Brook VMS; California Lake VMS; Canoe Landing Lake (East-West) VMS and the Wedge VMS Projects. The Company is focused on Critical Minerals Exploration (CME), positioning for the boom in EV and green technologies requiring Copper, Silver, Lead and Zinc with a hedge with Gold.
ON BEHALF OF NINE MILE METALS LTD.
"Patrick J. Cruickshank, MBA"
Chief Executive Officer and Director
info@ninemilemetals.com
"Jonathan Holmes"
Director
jonathan@ninemilemetals.com
The disclosure of technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in National Instrument 43-101 — Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and reviewed and approved by Gary Lohman, B.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration and Director who acts as the Company's Qualified Person and is not independent of the Company.
Forward-Looking Information:
This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of Nine Mile. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of Nine Mile. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "will," "may," "would," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek, "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "could" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Although Nine Mile believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because Nine Mile can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct.
The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.