Positive Hydrometallurgical Testwork, Battery Grade Manganese Sulphate Scoping Study Underway

Firebird Metals Limited (ASX: FRB) (“Firebird” or “the Company”) is pleased to provide a development update on its flagship Oakover Manganese Project (“Oakover”).

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Highlights

• Hydrometallurgical testwork program ongoing, with initial leaching testwork delivering very positive results of up to 97% Mn extraction in 4 hours
  
• Following excellent results of the hydrometallurgical program, Firebird has immediately commenced work on a battery grade High Purity Manganese Sulphate Scoping Study
• Commencement of impurity precipitation testwork, a key stage of the Scoping Study
• Importance of Manganese within battery cathodes (both NMC and LFP chemistries) continues to grow

Commenting on the impressive testwork results and development progress being made at Oakover, Firebird Managing Director Peter Allen said “Successful completion of initial leaching testwork and the positive results generated provides Firebird with a very strong base to springboard into further testwork and complete a Scoping Study on battery grade High Purity Manganese Sulphate. Importantly, we are investigating and progressing exciting processing options which are focused on utilising the entire Oakover resource.

“We are excited to commence work on the battery grade High Purity Manganese Sulphate Scoping Study. The development of this process is a very important pillar of the Firebird strategy and one that if successfully completed and placed into operation, will deliver significant, long-term shareholder value.

Hydrometallurgical Test Program Completed

Firebird has completed successful leaching testwork on each ore domain from Oakover, which is the first stage of testwork required for developing and producing High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HPMSM) for the Battery Industry.

Multiple scouting leaching tests were completed on Oakover Mn feed, which had been crushed, screened and scrubbed, but not beneficiated further (ore sorted/DMS).

Testwork feed was generated from diamond drill core from all manganese ore domains at Sixty Sixer, Jay- Eye and Karen deposits.

This round of testwork proved very effective and delivered excellent Mn extraction results and importantly, provides to the Company with ideal stoichiometric ratios for next stage precipitation reactions and impurity removal, with a view to ultimately produce HPMSM crystals.

Key results from the program include:

• Ore amenable to reductive acidic leaching
  
• 93-97% Mn extraction in 4 hours
• Heat generated by the reaction
• Mn concentrations of 70-140 g/l in Pregnant Leach Solution

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