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Avalon Provides Update on Metallurgical Process Optimization Work for Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 7, 2020) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (T...
About this update from Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Avalon Provides Update on Metallurgical Process Optimization Work for Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ONToronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 7, 2020) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) and (OTCQB: AVLNF) (\"Avalon\" or the \"Company\") is pleased to provide an update on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project (\"Separation Rapids\" or the \"Project\"), situated approximately 70 km by road north of Kenora, Ontario. Since Avalon's news release dated June 3, 2020, metallurgical testwork has been progressing on several fronts with the overall objectives of reducing costs, improving recoveries and optimizing lithium product quality. The Company is continuing to look at market opportunities to serve both the glass-ceramics market with its lithium mineral (petalite) product and the lithium battery materials market with its high purity lithium hydroxide product. In its 2016 Preliminary Economic Assessment, Avalon developed a proprietary process flowsheet to produce a high purity lithium hydroxide product from petalite for the lithium battery material market. The flowsheet has the advantage of generating limited waste by the recycling of the sulphuric acid solvent. To further optimize this flowsheet, Avalon has shipped a 50 kg sample of petalite concentrate to XPS (Expert Process Solutions) in Sudbury, Ontario to generate leach solution for use in optimizing the final stages of the process, which involves the use of electrolysis to produce lithium hydroxide. The program will focus on an improved membrane alternative and efficient crystallization of the final high purity product. The results will enable finalizing equipment selection and design.With Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently announcing Ontario's interest in establishing new battery materials supply chains in the province, Avalon is investigating collaborative opportunities to establish a lithium processing facility in Northwestern Ontario. The facility being planned would produce lithium hydroxide, and would also accept concentrates from other producers of lithium minerals from the many pegmatite deposits that occur in northern Ontario.In the glass-ceramics market, the innovation of new products is creating many new market opportunities for Avalon's petalite product. One such market requires a petalite product that has not been concentrated by froth flota...