Vision Lithium Inc., Val-d’Or, Québec, Canada, (TSXV: VLI) (OTC: ABEPF) is pleased to announce that it has produced lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) grading at 99.9% which was derived from lithium concentrate made from its 100% owned Sirmac lithium property at SGS Canada Inc. at the Lakefield laboratory. SGS also produced the lithium concentrate sample grading 6.2% Li2O (see 2019 Q1 MD&A on SEDAR), which was used as the starting point for the lithium carbonate. The Sirmac property is located approximately 200 kilometres south of Whabouchi lithium mine and 180 kilometres by road north-west of Chibougamau, Quebec. It consists of 35 mining claims covering approximately 1,573 hectares.
Yves Rougerie, President and CEO of Vision Lithium commented, “This is a significant step in proving a battery grade lithium carbonate can made from lithium ore taken from the Sirmac project. It’s an important technical milestone for any lithium company to show the full value chain is technically achievable.”
Outcrop samples and drill core samples from the 2018 drilling program as well as from the Nemaska drilling program of 2012 on the main #5 dike were sent to SGS for metallurgical tests for a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) level metallurgical test work program. The samples were combined into one Main Composite, one High Grade Composite, and three variability samples, based on instructions provided by Vision Lithium. The metallurgical test work program included sample preparation, mineralogical analysis, grindability, magnetic separation, heavy liquid separation (HLS), dense media separation (DMS), and flotation testing. The tests were successful in recovering 88.3% of the lithium at a grade of 6.23% Li2O. Following receipt of these excellent results, SGS produced an amount 91.9 grams of very high purity lithium carbonate in 2020.
The results from the lithium carbonate samples confirm that all specifications for trace elements are met and that this is a premium product. Specifications for the final lithium carbonate samples produced as shown in Table 1.
High-grade lithium carbonate production methodology
To produce high-grade lithium carbonate, the combined pregnant leach solution (PLS) from the water leach tests (WL-1 to WL-5) was first purified by primary and secondary impurity removal steps. Further purification to >99.5% was performed by ion-exchange (IX) followed by lithium carbonate precipitation. Finally, bicarbonate polishing was conducted to achieve battery-grade purity of >99.9%. The diagram of lithium carbonate production is shown on Figure 2.
The scientific and technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Yves Rougerie, Geologist, President and CEO of the Company. Mr. Rougerie is a “qualified person” as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43–101”).
About Vision Lithium Inc.
Vision Lithium Inc. is a junior exploration company focused on exploring and developing high quality mineral assets including gold, base metals and lithium in safe jurisdictions, primarily in Canada. The Company is led by skilled and qualified mineral exploration experts and business professionals. Vision Lithium is committed to discovering new world class assets and bringing these assets to production, starting with the Sirmac lithium property located in Northern Quebec, the Dôme Lemieux copper-zinc property in Québec’s Gaspé region, and its recently acquired polymetallic properties in New Brunswick.