Provides Update on Separation Rapids and East Kemptville Projects and Announces New Staff Appointment
Toronto, May 28, 2014 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Avalon Rare Metals Inc (
TSE:AVL) (NYSEMKT:AVL) ("Avalon" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on recent progress on its two other advanced development projects: the Separation Rapids Lithium-Tantalum Project and the East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project and to announce a new staff appointment.
Separation Rapids Lithium-Tantalum Project
Considerable progress has been achieved with a metallurgical testwork program currently underway in Europe, in which a high purity concentrate of the lithium bearing mineral petalite for glass-ceramics applications has been successfully produced. The use of optical sorting was able to split crushed ore into coarse and fine grained fractions and subsequent investigations into processing of the coarse grained rock resulted in a process which generates both a low-iron petalite concentrate and a low-iron mixed (potassium/sodium) feldspar by-product.
The new process flowsheet first uses magnetic separation on the optically-sorted and milled ore to remove iron-bearing minerals, then successive flotation circuits to produce the two high purity concentrates. The analysis of the petalite is of particular interest with a Lithium Oxide (Li2O) content of 4.1 - 4.3% and Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) of <0.01% (typical commercial petalite products contain 4.1% Li2O and 0.05% Fe2O3). Other common impurities such as Titanium Dioxide (TiO2 <10ppm), Manganese Oxide (MnO +/-50ppm) and Chromium Oxide (Cr2O3 <10ppm) are also exceptionally low, which will make this material very attractive to end-users in the glass and ceramics industry. The mixed feldspar concentrate also appears to have the potential to be an attractive product for ceramics manufacturers due to its exceptionally low iron levels (<0.01% Fe2O3) when compared to other commercially available feldspar products.
This testwork program has now been extended to apply the developed flowsheet on the fine grained fraction of the ore and to also produce a larger volume of final petalite concentrate for evaluation by several potential customers who have already expressed interest in the product. The Qualified Person for the technical and scientific information in this News Release is David Marsh, B.Sc (Hon.), FAusIMM (CP), Senior Vice President, Metallurgy, Avalon Rare Metals Inc.
East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project
Avalon is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with the surface rights holder to secure access to lands for a drilling program over Avalon's 100% owned minerals Special Licence at East Kemptville, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia (the "Site"). Subject to approval of the program details, the agreement will allow Avalon to proceed with its proposed 1000 metre drilling program, designed to confirm historic tin-copper-zinc-indium resources covered by the Special Licence, which was first granted in 2005. This, in turn, will allow the Company to complete a NI 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on the viability of re-establishing a tin-copper-zinc-indium mining operation at the Site.
Avalon plans to proceed with the drilling program in early summer and complete the PEA over the next four to six months. A preliminary budget of $500,000 has been established for this work. Immediate next steps include finalizing environmental and safety protocols for the drilling program and conducting community meetings with First Nations and local environmental groups. These meetings are designed to inform the local community on the scope of work planned, address any concerns raised about environmental impacts and discuss future possibilities for development of the Site, should the PEA confirm an economically attractive business opportunity.
For future feasibility study work, Avalon plans to partner with a larger corporation with expertise in environmental management and remediation around closed mine sites, to ensure that environmental best practices are employed at the Site from the beginning, consistent with the Company's commitment to sustainability in all aspects of its business.
New Staff Appointment
Avalon is also pleased to announce that it has hired Ms. Melanie Smith as its Senior Legal Counsel. Ms. Smith was an associate at Lawson Lundell LLP in Vancouver BC, before being seconded to Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. in Yellowknife, NWT. Most recently she acted as Senior Legal Counsel toHope Bay Mining Ltd. Ms. Smith brings a wealth of operational experience in the North with both large and small corporations and will be a valuable addition to the Company's Operations team as the Nechalacho REE Project progresses toward construction.
About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc
Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSE:AVL) (OTCMKTS:AVLNF) (formerly Avalon Rare Metals) is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. The Company has three advanced stage projects, all 100%-owned, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium, and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON and its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Yarmouth, NS. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones.
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