Imperial Mining Develops High-Recovery Extraction Process for Scandium and Rare Earth Elements for Crater Lake Mineralization
Imperial Mining Group Ltd. (OTCQB: IMPNF) announced a breakthrough in scandium and rare earth element extraction at its Crater Lake project. The innovative two-stage hydrometallurgical method achieved 87% scandium recovery and 84% total rare earth element recovery from drill samples. The company plans to patent this process and aims for high-purity scandium oxide production, expected to complete testing by the third quarter of 2021. The extraction process is effective across various mineralization types identified on the site.
- Introduced a new extraction process that achieved 87% scandium recovery and 84% rare earth recovery.
- High extraction efficacy across various mineralization types enhances the project's potential.
- Plans to patent the new extraction method, indicating a forward-looking innovation strategy.
- Anticipates completing the hydrometallurgical program by Q3 2021, showcasing commitment to project advancement.
- None.
MONTREAL, June 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Mining Group Ltd. ("Imperial") (TSX VENTURE: IPG) (OTCQB: IMPNF) is pleased to announce that it has developed an innovative process for extraction of scandium (Sc) and rare earth elements (REE) from its Crater Lake scandium mineralization as part of its current Phase 3 Hydrometallurgical Development Program. Results from this work show very high recovery of both scandium and rare earths for all mineralization types defined in diamond drilling on the property.
The two-stage hydrometallurgical extraction method entails a high-pressure caustic leach (HPC) followed by hydrochloric acid leach of the HPC residue. The new method showed remarkable recovery of scandium and the rare earth elements from Imperial’s Crater Lake Sc-REE mineralization (see Imperial Mining press release dated March 2, 2020, for details of the MET samples herein mentioned):
- The method showed scandium recovery to primary leach solution (PLS) of
87% for MET01, and84% for MET02 samples. - The recovery of total rare earth element, including yttrium (TREE+Y) of
84% , from both MET01 and MET02 samples. - The high recoveries of Sc and TREE+Y from both samples show that the method has excellent efficacy in extracting Sc and REE from samples representing different mineralization types observed in drilling.
“We are extremely pleased with the results obtained to date from our metallurgical test work on Crater Lake mineralization,” said Peter Cashin, Imperial’s President & CEO. “Along with our partners MPlan-Dorfner ANZAPLAN, we have now obtained high scandium and rare earth recoveries from both the mineral concentration and hydrometallurgical study phases of the program. More importantly, the process that we have developed is effective across the various mineralization types defined on the project thus far. We are now ready to move to the final stages of our test work to recover a high-purity scandium oxide product.”
Imperial Mining is currently working to further optimize the process parameters with its hydrometallurgical development partners, MPlan-Dorfner ANZAPLAN GmbH, and is planning to apply for a patent for the new process.
Imperial Mining Group and MPlan-Dorfner ANZAPLAN continue to develop its hydrometallurgical flowsheet by treating a 100 kg mineral concentrate that was produced from two bulk samples collected from drillcore: MET01 and MET02. The program will recover scandium as scandium oxide (Sc2O3), and TREE+Y as a bulk concentrate. The Phase 3 hydrometallurgical flowsheet development program will be completed in the third quarter of 2021.
QUALIFIED PERSON
The technical content in this press release was reviewed and certified by Dr. Yemi Oyediran, an Ontario-registered P. Eng., Imperial's Manager of Metallurgical Development.
ABOUT IMPERIAL MINING GROUP LTD.
Imperial is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on the advancement of its technology metals projects in Québec. Imperial is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange as “IPG” and on the OTCQB Exchange as “IMPNF” and is led by an experienced team of mineral exploration and development professionals with a strong track record of mineral deposit discovery in numerous metal commodities.
ABOUT M.PLAN INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
M.Plan International Limited is a joint venture between two internationally recognized consulting companies, Dorfner Anzaplan GmbH and Micon International Limited, combining their expertise in global geological and mining consulting with analytics, processing and engineering with significant experience in the specialty minerals and metals sector.
M.Plan has deep project experience from initial mineral resource estimation through to process development, engineering design and project development. M.Plan and its joint venture owners have been involved in several rare earth element projects globally and hundreds of development studies in the mining sector, including independent lenders’ engineer assignments and as due diligence lead for multiple European and North American capital providers.
For further information please contact:
| Peter J. Cashin President and Chief Executive Officer Phone: +1 (514) 360-0571 Email: info@imperialmgp.com | CHF Capital Markets Iryna Zheliasko, Manager-Corporate Communications Phone: +1 (416) 868-1079 x229 Email: iryna@chfir.com |
| Website: www.imperialmgp.com | Twitter: @imperial_mining | Facebook: Imperial Mining Group |
This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to the Company’s operations or to its business environment. Such statements are based on the Company’s operations, estimates, forecasts, and projections, but are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict or control. Several factors could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed. These factors include those set forth in the corporate filings. Although any such forward-looking statements are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot guarantee that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, for any reason. We also do not commit in any way to guarantee that we will continue reporting on items or issues that arise. Investors are cautioned that this press release contains quoted historical exploration results. These are derived from filed assessment reports and compiled from governmental databases. The Company and a QP have not independently verified and make no representations as to the accuracy of historical exploration results: these results should not be relied upon. Selected highlight results may not be indicative of average grades.
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FAQ
What is the new extraction process announced by Imperial Mining Group Ltd. on June 9, 2021?
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