Testing Update 99.99% Magnesium left behind in Lithium host rock
GlobeNewswire•January 12, 2018
KELOWNA, British Columbia, Jan. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via Network NewsWire -- Enertopia Corporation (ENRT) (TOP.CO) (the "Company" or "Enertopia") is pleased to announce the following synthetic brine testing update for the recovery of Lithium and ultimately, upgrading the Lithium to battery grade Li2CO3 by our technology partner Genesis Water Technologies Inc., (GWT) a leader in specialized water treatment solutions.
The goals of this much larger independent third-party lab testing from the Company's lithium project in Clayton Valley, NV were to test, in a precise manner, the effect of varying pH in leach solutions used to create synthetic brines by dissolution of lithium from source rock from the Company's Clayton Valley, NV project. The synthetic lithium brines were created by using one (1) part lithium bearing source rock (500g) to four (4) parts solution (2000ml) as a baseline for our upcoming bench testing of the synthetic brines through the GWT ENERLET system. These solutions had the following pH values, 2.0 and 5.5 (using H2SO4), and pH of 11.0 (using NaOH).
Also the synthetic brine solutions were tested over periods from 2hrs to 48hrs to test how much lithium and other minerals would be liberated into solution over the tested time intervals.
Overview of 3rd party laboratory results from the synthetic brine sample results are outlined below:
Bulk Sample # pH 2.0 pH 5.5 pH 11.0 Mg/Li Ratio
GWT-001
Li in head grade ppm 1,040 1,040 1,040
Li in Solution mg/l 30 20 20
Mg in head grade ppm 25,950 25,950 25,950
Mg in solution mg/l 307 40 3 0.15/1
GWT-002 Mg / Li
Li in head grade ppm 1,780 1,780 1,780
Li in Solution mg/l 170 170 170
Mg in head grade ppm 21,400 21,400 21,400
Mg in solution mg/l 228 55 3 0.017/1
NOTE: 1 ppm = 1 mg/l
KEY FINDINGS:
Synthetic lithium brine solution produced from leaching of bulk sample GWT002 by alkaline leaching (with a pH of 11) returned the best results with 99.99% of magnesium being left out of the produced synthetic lithium brine solution.
Separation of magnesium from lithium in brines used to produce a lithium carbonate product is a critical process factor, as well as cost factor, in the production of battery grade lithium carbonate. The finding that magnesium can be easily suppressed in the production of synthetic lithium brine from the source rock at the Clayton Valley Project bodes well for cost containment in, as well as purity of lithium carbonate product from, the ENERLET proposed recovery process.
Lithium values of 170 ppm and only 3 ppm Mg in solution were found in synthetic lithium brine produced by alkaline leach from bulk sample GWT-002. For comparison the disclosed inferred brine resource of one of the properties in Clayton Valley, NV has an average Lithium grade of 123 ppm and over 200 ppm Magnesium, requiring additional cost (to separate magnesium) to produce an acceptable lithium carbonate product. Thus, our test synthetic lithium brine, produced by alkaline leach of our source rock, returned values 38.21% higher in lithium and contains only 0.015% Mg based on comparison. The above lithium values of 170 ppm are also more than 100% above several reported petro lithium projects. Brines from those petro lithium projects are also reported to feature high levels of magnesium that must be removed to produce an acceptable lithium carbonate product.
There was no significant difference in the amount of dissolved lithium into solution based on a two hour solution test or the prolonged forty-eight hour solution test period. This indicates the Lithium readily dissolves out of the source rock in a very short period of time, thus allowing for rapid processing time to synthetic lithium brine.
Lithium in solution was computed to be over 40% of Lithium in the source rock. This indicates the opportunity for a substantial increase in the Lithium in solution grade, using a more concentrated solution and or industry standard separation technologies going forward.
NEXT STEPS:
The Company continues to work aggressively at unlocking the value of the lithium bearing rock at surface along the uplifted block along the eastern flank at Clayton Valley, NV. Further testing of lithium source rock and pH controlled liquid ratios will continue along with and in combination with testing of other separation methods that will be ongoing over the first quarter of 2018. The Company will also have a booth at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) this year from March 4-7 in Toronto, ON. Modern technology is changing the face of mining. For example drones can now be used quickly and inexpensively to map and digitize a property in hours as opposed to weeks or months in the past. Autonomous mining vehicles now have production rates 40% higher and no lost time accidents than those of conventional mining vehicles.
