Atlantic Lithium provides exploration update

Highlights

• Metallurgical profiling using heavy liquid separation (HLS) at a coarser 10 mm crush size delivers primary lithium concentrate recoveries of up to 80% in the dominant P1 material.
• Dense medium separation (DMS) replicates HLS results at pilot scale, providing confidence in the proposed gravity plant design to deliver an economic outcome.
• Results support a low CAPEX gravity separation plant at a coarser 10 mm primary crush size; comparing favourably to the scoping study base case at a finer 6.3 mm crush.
• Lithium and feldspar concentrate quality test-work conducted to date exceeds off-taker requirements and can be achieved using standard gravity separation techniques.
• Test-work completed on a total of 1700 kg of drill core in 64 composites tested across the Ewoyaa Project footprint with a focus on the first five years of planned mine production.
• Test-work completed in support of the PFS study now underway with targeted delivery 3Q22.

Lennard Kolff, Interim CEO of Atlantic Lithium, said: “Results have successfully demonstrated that we are able to produce high-purity, low contaminants 6% Li₂O SC6 spodumene concentrate at a coarse 10 mm crush, which is much coarser than previously projected in the scoping study, providing potential for lower operating costs; especially within the dominant P1 material.

“Results have consistently delivered lithium and feldspar concentrate quality that exceeds off-taker requirements and reaffirms the suitability of a simple dense medium gravity separation process route, boding well for low capital costs, operating costs and carbon intensities.

“Results of the metallurgical test-work programme are a key deliverable in support of the PFS, targeted for completion in 3Q22.

“The project is exceptionally well located, being only 1 km from the sealed national highway and 110 km from the operating deep-sea port of Takoradi with adjacent grid power; we believe it is challenging to find better located lithium pegmatite projects elsewhere.

“With Ewoyaa being funded to production through our agreement with Pied-mont Lithium, these metallurgical results continue to highlight the exceptional potential of the project and the value that it brings to the company and our shareholders.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/exploration-development/09062022/atlantic-lithium-provides-exploration-update/