Replies to post #147085 on Sarissa Resources Inc (SRSR)

[webpence]

Here's what I know.

Not sure if it was csm or lerner, but lerner is credited on the patent filings and is the one that summarized the work into an internal report for Dominion Gulf.

From what I can tell, the process is as follows.

1. Crush the ore and grind to 60 mesh
2. Pre oxidation of the ore and desliming
3. A fluidized bed of cocl2 or cacl4 to react the ore
4. Collect the offgases as nbcl5

Also, a note that the ore would most likely need to be procesed on site.

So, I assume the Hatch work is either to demonstrate the catalyzed chlorination process, since only the phosgenation process was taken through the pilot plant stage. Or, there is a need to make one of the steps in the process more environmentally sound. Or both.
-------------------------
From Chance's report
"Mineral Processing and Metallurgical Testing Dominion Gulf carried out metallurgical testing of material derived from the Chewett Township deposits. Work appears to have focused on the D Zone completing conventional (physical liberation and concentration) tests with disappointing results and developing two hyrdometallurgical [chemical] extraction processes (chlorination and phosgenation) before halting the project in 1962 (Lerner, 1962). Sarissa carried out a mineralogical study (SGS, 2009) whose results complement the earlier Gulf work. Dominion Gulf completed conventional metallurgical testing of “D” Zone material at Battelle Memorial Institute and other unnamed facilities. The results were disappointing due to very fine grained (<45µ), disseminated pyrochlore grains (Lerner, 1962). Recognizing that the Chewett deposit was significant Dominion Gulf sought an economic process for extracting niobium from the pyrochlore deposits. Development work followed two variants of an extractive chlorination scheme; catalyzed chlorination and phosgenation processes. The phosgenation process was taken through the pilot plant stage, however, the plant configuration is similar for both process. Both processes are demonstrably operable and appear capable of producing high purity niobium metal powder for a total cost of less than $13 / kg at a 1000 tpy (ibid.). "