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Pure Energy Minerals Launches Lithium Mini-Pilot Plant With Tenova Bateman Technologies & Grows Engineering Team
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - May 11, 2016) - Pure Energy Minerals Limited (TSX VENTURE: PE) (FRANKFURT: A111EG) (OTCQB: HMGLF) (the "Company" or "Pure Energy")
About this update from Pure Energy Minerals Ltd.
[{"type":"text","content":"VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - May 11, 2016) - Pure Energy Minerals Limited (TSX VENTURE: PE) (FRANKFURT: A111EG) (OTCQB: HMGLF) (the \"Company\" or \"Pure Energy\") is pleased to announce the commencement of its Mini-Pilot Plant work with Tenova Bateman Technologies (TBT) at their research and development centre in Katzrin, Israel and at other off-site locations. The proposed lithium recovery process that will be tested in the Mini-Pilot Plant consists of three distinct phases: LiP™ -- Physical removal of alkaline earth elements (Ca & Mg) using membranes; LiSX™ -- Recovery of lithium into concentrated high-purity lithium sulphate solution utilizing proven solvent extraction process; and, LiEL™ -- conversion of the lithium sulphate solution into a concentrated high-purity lithium hydroxide solution, using electrolysis, and subsequent crystallization into high-purity battery grade lithium hydroxide. The Mini-Pilot Plant work will expand upon bench-scale work conducted by TBT for Pure Energy in 2015 and will culminate in a report with preliminary estimates of capital (CAPEX) and operating (OPEX) expenditures for a potential commercial processing plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada for the production of high-purity battery grade lithium hydroxide. The work product from the Mini-Pilot Plant will also include: scale up data for the continuous pilot stage and other recommendations to support preliminary process design work. In addition, Pure Energy has begun bench-scale testing work with SGS Canada Inc. (SGS) on additional pre-treatment options for Clayton Valley South (CVS) lithium brine. The Company sent a representative sample of lithium brine from the CVS Project to SGS' hydrometallurgy laboratory in Lakefield, Ontario. This phase of SGS testing will focus on removal of alkaline earth elements (predominantly Ca and Mg) from the lithium brine by means of direct chemical precipitation. This SGS testing program aims to complement the membrane pre-treatment stage described above, wherein the brine will be polished prior to lithium collection via solvent extraction. Pure Energy's engineering team will collect, interpret, and model the data from the TBT and SGS process test work. The successful outcome of this testing and modeling will result in key data inputs to the preliminary process design and flowsheet for the potential CVS lithium...