Lithium Energy says testwork on its latest graphite samples have continued to build a compelling case for the construction of a specialised facility to produce precursor battery anode material in Queensland.
Management says its latest results from recently-completed metallurgical testwork on graphite samples from its Burke project, conducted by the Beijing General Research Institute for Mining and Metallurgy (BGRIMM) in China, further supports its mission to produce purified spherical graphite (PSG).
BGRIMM’s testwork, based on a comprehensive flowsheet for the initial metallurgical testing of 1 tonne of the Burke sample material, demonstrated that Lithium Energy could produce the high-quality graphite flake concentrate needed to meet industry standards for total graphitic carbon (TGC), with recoveries exceeding 85 per cent using standard flotation and regrind milling technology.
The results open the way to further characterisation, shaping, purification, coating and electrochemical testwork, which will be undertaken by German graphite specialists ProGraphite GmbH.
The design parameters for the company’s optimal flake production from its Burke graphite will form part of the testwork required to support a prefeasibility study into the production of PSG plant feed suitable for lithium battery anodes. The study is being undertaken by Wave International and the Measured Group.
Lithium Energy says that its PSG product would be sold as an anode precursor material for use in lithium-ion battery manufacturing or for battery energy storage solutions.
The company is planning to mine graphite from its Burke deposit, which sits 125km north of Cloncurry in Queensland, to produce a TGC graphite flake concentrate grading more than 95 per cent. The concentrate would then be transported to its proposed PSG manufacturing facility for shaping, purification, coating and electrochemical testwork to form a high-quality final product. The PFS is expected to be completed at the end of the year.
Earlier this year, Lithium Energy completed a resource drilling program at its Corella graphite project, about 120km south of the Burke deposit, and defined a maiden inferred mineral resource of 13.5 million tonnes at 9.5 per cent TGC for 1.3 million tonnes of contained graphite, at a 5 per cent cut-off grade. The inferred resource includes a higher-grade inferred mineral resource of 4.5 million tonnes at 12.7 per cent TGC for 0.57 million tonnes of contained graphite, at a 10 per cent cut-off grade.
Management says that following the recent delineation of a JORC-inferred mineral resource estimate for graphite at Corella, its current combined graphite inventory from both projects has doubled to 2.6 million tonnes of contained graphite.
A natural consequence of the upgrade and the mutual proximity of the two projects is that the company is now exploring the compatibility of Corella graphite for use as additional feedstock at the proposed PSG plant. A sample comprising 500kg of Corella graphite has been sent to BGRIMM to undergo the same type of metallurgical testwork and flake concentrate production as was recently completed on Burke graphite. Testing will determine if the same or similar flowsheets can be used on graphite from the two sources and flake concentrate will be sent to ProGraphite for evaluation.
The company says metallurgical evaluation on feed compatibility and PSG testwork will be critical to establishing its PSG production potential and will significantly influence the parameters of its PFS.
The Corella flowsheet development, compatibility assessment and bulk flake concentrate testwork is anticipated to be completed by BGRIMM within the next two months. The PSG testwork program will then begin, with completion by ProGraphite anticipated early next year.
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