{"id":23338,"date":"2022-07-20T14:38:04","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T13:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=23338"},"modified":"2022-07-20T14:38:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T13:38:04","slug":"hatch-design-test-manage-all-dle-programmes-ithiumbank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/hatch-design-test-manage-all-dle-programmes-ithiumbank\/23338\/","title":{"rendered":"Hatch to design, test and manage all DLE programmes for LithiumBank"},"content":{"rendered":"

LithiumBank Resources<\/a> brings on engineering firm Hatch to work directly on the Boardwalk Lithium Brine Project with two direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology companies.<\/h2>\n

LithiumBank Resources Corp.<\/a> (TSX-V: LBNK) is pleased to announce the commencement of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) mineral processing test work on brines from the company\u2019s Boardwalk Project, located 80 km east of Grande Prairie, AB. The project consists of 40 Alberta Metallic and Industrial Mineral contiguous permits covering an area of 794,509 acres, within a LithiumBank total land package of approximately 2.9M acres in the region.<\/p>\n

LithiumBank has engaged Hatch to assess leading DLE technologies in parallel from the shortlisted DLE technology companies to inform a Preliminary Economic Assessment and subsequent commercial plant design.<\/p>\n

Boardwalk project: Preliminary Economic Assessment<\/h3>\n

Hatch is an engineering firm with expertise in the engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) of lithium processing plants. LithiumBank\u2019s management team is working with senior members of Hatch\u2019s lithium group, with recent DLE project experience, to assess DLE technology options for the Boardwalk project. The results of the technology assessment performed by Hatch are expected to be utilised in preparing a NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) in respect of the Boardwalk Project. This PEA is a key stepping stone towards designing a commercial facility that the company anticipates will produce battery-grade lithium chemical products.<\/p>\n

LithiumBank first engaged Hatch in August 2021 to conduct a comparative study of multiple North American-based DLE technologies that could deliver a high purity lithium chloride (LiCl) concentrate to be used in commercial, battery-grade lithium chemical production from the Boardwalk brine. After an iterative process by Hatch, LithiumBank has narrowed the potential technology providers. The shortlisted companies have received brine from Boardwalk and have commenced test work to determine the key design parameters (e.g. selectivity of the lithium extraction media, extraction kinetics, and media longevity). This level of detail in the test work will provide the necessary information to inform preliminary economics around a lithium processing facility on-site at Boardwalk.<\/p>\n

Testing lithium brine<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe are very excited to have commenced testing our brine with two of the shortlisted DLE technology companies,\u201d commented LithiumBank\u2019s COO, Kevin Piepgrass. \u201cBoth shortlisted companies have developed DLE materials and extraction processes that the company believes have an ideal set of ranges of conditions required for peak performance. The temperature, pH, and chemistry at Boardwalk make these technologies ideal candidates and we look forward to receiving the results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brine utilised in the DLE test work was collected in August 2021 from well 100\/09-26-068-22W5\/00 located in the south Sturgeon Lake oilfield (see figure 1) and has a reported average grade of 73.8 mg\/L Lithium (as previously reported in LithiumBank news release dated June 28, 2022).<\/p>\n

The Boardwalk Leduc formation Li-brine inferred resource is globally estimated at 1,122,000 tonnes of elemental Li at an average lithium concentration of 67.1 mg\/L Li in 16.7 km3<\/sup> of formation brine volume (Table 1). The global (total) lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) for the inferred mineral resource is 5,973,000 tonnes LCE.<\/p>\n

Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no guarantee that all or any part of the mineral resource will be converted into a mineral reserve.<\/p>\n

Table 1 Boardwalk\u2019s Leduc Formation Li-brine NI 43-101 inferred resource estimate presented as a global (total) resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Reporting parameter<\/strong><\/td>\nLeduc Formation Reef Domain<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aquifer volume<\/td>\n321.99 (km3<\/sup>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brine volume<\/td>\n16.72 (km3<\/sup>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average lithium concentration<\/td>\n67.1 (mg\/L)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average porosity<\/td>\n5.3 (%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average brine in pore space<\/td>\n98.0 (%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total elemental lithium resource<\/td>\n1,122,000 (tonnes)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total lithium carbonate equivalent<\/strong><\/td>\n5,973,000 tonnes (LCE)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Note<\/p>\n