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NioBay Announces the Completion and Success of Metallurgical Work on the Crevier Project
MONTRÉAL, April 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NioBay Metals Inc. (“ NioBay ” or...
About this update from Niobay Metals Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"NioBay Announces the Completion and Success of Metallurgical Work on the Crevier Project\nMONTRÉAL, April 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NioBay Metals Inc. (“NioBay” or the “Company”) (TSX-V  NBY) (OTCQB: NBYCF), is pleased to announce the completion and successful results of its metallurgical and hydrometallurgical test work. This work was carried out using mineralized 10 metric tonnes bulk sample from the Crevier niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) project (the “Crevier Project”), of which the Company owns 72.5%, with the remaining 27.5% held by Niobec Inc. (a division of Magris Performance Materials Inc.). The Crevier Project is located approximately 50 km north of Girardville and about 150 km from the Niobec mine. It lies within the Nitassinan (ancestral territory) of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh, whose main population center is Mashteuiatsh. Highlights and Results The work was carried out with the support of a grant awarded by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) and the Consortium de recherche et d’innovation en transformation métallique (CRITM). The work title was “Demonstration of the Pilot‑Scale Niobium‑Tantalum Concentration Process and Production of Niobium and Tantalum Oxides from the Crevier Deposit Located in the Lac‑Saint‑Jean Region.”The final metallurgical report demonstrates a 70% recovery of Nb₂O₅, achieving the targeted grades ranging from 17% Nb₂O₅ to 36% Nb₂O₅ depending on the concentration stage.Hydrometallurgical test work shows high extraction efficiency and strong selectivity, with overall extraction rates (conventional process) averaging 92.3% for niobium and 95.8% for tantalum.The final product purity (via direct precipitation and calcination) is niobium pentoxide (Nb₂O₅) at 75.8% purity.With respect to by‑product valorization, the leach residues contain 19% to 32% zirconium.Preliminary fluoride‑free extraction tests using alkaline fusion and water leaching achieved high extraction yields - 86.4% for niobium and 91.4% for tantalum- using a low‑grade concentrate containing 13% Nb₂O₅.The metallurgical portion of the work (gravimetric separation, magnetic separation, flotation tests) was car...