Business
U3O8 Corp. Reports Simplified Route to Production of Phosphate - a Key Component of Some Lithium-Ion Batteries - from Its Berlin Deposit
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 21, 2021) - U3O8 Corp. ( TSXV: UWE.H ) (" U3O8 " or...
About this update from Green Shift Commodities Ltd
[{"type":"text","content":"U3O8 Corp. Reports Simplified Route to Production of Phosphate - a Key Component of Some Lithium-Ion Batteries - from Its Berlin DepositToronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 21, 2021) - U3O8 Corp. (TSXV: UWE.H) (\"U3O8\" or the \"Company\") announces that one of the key conclusions from the initial study of the suitability of membranes to the processing of mineralized material from the Berlin battery commodity and uranium deposit, is that they provide a simpler way of producing phosphate. Phosphate occurs with other battery commodities including nickel and vanadium at Berlin, making this a logical source of phosphate for the battery market. Of particular focus is the lithium-iron phosphate (\"LFP\") battery that is used by BYD, one of the biggest e-vehicle and battery producers in the USA and China as well as by Tesla in its Model 3 and in its whole range of vehicles made in China.Mr. Johann van der Westhuysen, metallurgical consultant to U3O8 Corp., commented, \"The upfront separation of phosphoric acid from the rest of the metals would allow for a simpler and efficient processing route to produce phosphate products from the mineralized material from Berlin. Initial modelling results show that membrane separation would, indeed, achieve the desired early removal of phosphate from the other commodities.\"Simplified Phosphate ProductionThe first stage of a two-stage membrane separation process to treat the solution that contains phosphate and metals from the mineralized rock at Berlin - the pregnant liquor solution (\"PLS\") - would separate phosphate (in the form of phosphoric acid) from the metals. The advantage of \"stripping off\" the phosphoric acid first, means that simple evaporation could be used to concentrate the acid to the extent required for many phosphate products, including LFP, to the parameters required by the battery market. Evaporation is considerably simpler and less expensive than the solvent extraction process that was contemplated for the extraction of phosphate in the processing plant designed in the preliminary economic assessment (\"PEA\") of the Berlin Project. Qualified PersonsThe geological and other economic information contained in this news release has been verified and approved by Richard Spencer, Ph.D., who is a designated Professional Geoscientist (PGeo) with the Association of Professional Ge...