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Avalon Provides Progress Report on Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora On
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 26, 2017) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TS...
About this update from Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Avalon Provides Progress Report on Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora OnToronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 26, 2017) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQX: AVLNF) (\"Avalon\" or the \"Company\") is pleased to provide the following update on recent activities on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project. The Company is focused on advancing its proposed Phase 1 lithium production facility and has been analyzing various alternatives on flowsheets to meet the needs of potential battery materials and glass-ceramics customers, as well as lithium mineral concentrate processors, that have expressed interest in the products. The mineralogy of the Separation Rapids lithium resource, containing significant quantities of both petalite and lepidolite, provides opportunities to produce both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide for battery makers and petalite as an industrial mineral for glass makers. Accordingly, recent work on the resource block model following the spring drilling program has focused on generating a detailed mineralogical model of the deposit. Resource Update and Phase 1 Plant DesignAs disclosed in the Company's News Release dated July 18, 2017, the spring drilling program has generated considerable new data towards creating a detailed mineralogical model of the deposit. The four in-fill holes contributed to a better understanding of resource geometry for mine planning purposes, in particular the spatial distribution of the lepidolite rich sub-unit that comprises at least 20% of the known resource. The block model created will also help guide further drilling planned for later this fall designed to expand the resource to depth. Mapping mineralogical zonation in the deposit is integral to designing the flowsheet for the planned Phase 1 production facility in order to maximize recoveries of lepidolite and petalite which will need to be concentrated separately. Initial testwork has shown that lepidolite can be recovered as the first step in a sequential flotation process prior to flotation of petalite. Concentrates of lepidolite are attracting increasing interest as a feedstock for production of lithium carbonate due to innovative low cost process technology such as the L-Max® process of Lepidico Ltd. As reported in the Company's news release dated February 6, 2017, Avalon signed a letter of int...