Goongarrie Pilot Plant Trial Produces Battery Grade Crystals
Perth, Oct 31, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Ardea Resources (
ASX:ARL) (ARRRF:OTCMKTS) is pleased to announce that it has taken a major step forward in the development of the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project with the pilot plant trial producing crystalline battery-grade nickel and cobalt sulphate.
- Ardea pilot plant testing has successfully produced nickel and cobalt sulphate crystals
- Crystals meet specifications of several battery industry off-takers
- Marketing samples can now be evaluated by off-takers and battery end-users
The successful test is significant as nickel and cobalt sulphates are key ingredients in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries but not all orebodies are amenable to producing the quality required.
Ardea Executive Chair Katina Law described the event as a significant milestone.
"The pilot plant trial has demonstrated that a high-quality product can be produced from the ore at Goongarrie and this will be critical during our current search for a strategic partner and potential off-takers. The samples we have produced will now be sent to interested parties for evaluation."
The Ardea pilot plant testing utilised the refined Goongarrie flowsheet which is an optimised version of the PFS flowsheet. Piloting has produced crystals that meet the strict specifications of several potential off-takers including trading houses and electric car manufacturers.
Pilot Plant Trial Overview
The pilot plant run was completed in two stages. In the first stage, continuous piloting produced a Mixed Sulphide Product (MSP). Leaching extractions for nickel and cobalt for Goongarrie goethite ore exceeded 95% in continuous piloting, using the refined Goongarrie flowsheet.
In the second stage, which was completed at SGS in Perth, the MSP was refined using pressure oxidation, neutralisation, solvent extraction and ion exchange to produce battery grade crystals.
The pilot plant testing forms part of the Definitive Feasibility Study programs that are currently underway following the release of the positive Pre-Feasibility Study results in March 2018 (see ASX announcement 28 March 2018).
To view figures, please visit:
http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/QG68X09I
About Ardea Resources Ltd
Ardea Resources Ltd (ASX:ARL) (OTCMKTS:ARRRF) (FRA:A91) is an ASX listed resources company, with 100% controlled Australian based projects, prioritising a three-pronged value creation strategy which is:
- development of the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project, which is part of the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project, a globally significant series of nickel-cobalt deposits which host the largest nickel-cobalt resource in the developed world, coincidentally located as a cover sequence overlying fertile orogenic gold targets;
- advanced-stage exploration at WA gold and nickel sulphide targets within the Eastern Goldfields world-class nickel-gold province; and
- the demerger of the NSW gold and base metal assets with planned in-specie share distribution, with projects located within the Lachlan Fold Belt world-class gold-copper province.
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