Green Battery Minerals and Volt Carbon Technologies enter into preliminary graphite processing agreement

Green Battery Minerals (GEM) and Volt Carbon Technologies (VCT) have signed a preliminary mineral processing agreement. GEM had provided Volt Carbon with a single 5 kilogram sample of crushed feedstock that was obtained from GEM's 100%-owned Berkwood Graphite project in Québec, Canada.

Volt Carbon processed the sample using its proprietary dry separation process technology as a test. The test result yielded 146 grams of graphite flake per kilogram of crushed feedstock, reflecting a 14.6% yield of graphite flakes per kilogram of feedstock.

The processed material was subsequently sent to a third-party lab (Base Metallurgist Laboratories Ltd. in Kamloops, British Columbia) for independent testing. Base Metallurgist Laboratories Ltd. independently verified that the Volt Carbon-processed Sample yielded a graphite content of 91.55%, with total carbon showing at 97%.

Volt Carbon has developed a proprietary dry separation process that uses air as its separation medium. The major benefits of this process compared to traditional processing are that the process:

does not use water, which eliminates a significant amount of waste traditionally associated with the purification of graphite due to its solventless and reagentless nature;

does not produce an effluent; and

results in the retention of the original quality of the graphite flakes (large +50 mesh and jumbo +35 mesh sized flakes).

GEM and Volt Carbon believe that large- and jumbo-sized flakes attain premium pricing due to their high-end performance as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

Samples of ore, feedstock and air separated graphite. Source: VCT

Based on the results from the sample test, GEM and Volt Carbon negotiated and signed the Preliminary Mineral Processing Agreement. The Preliminary Mineral Processing Agreement outlines a path forward from initial feasibility studies, to bulk sampling and testing, and through to mine development and production.

In the feasibility phase, the graphite ore will be extracted from GEM's Berkwood Graphite project, delivered to Volt Carbon's test processing facility located in Scarborough, Ontario and then processed by Volt Carbon. The objective of the feasibility phase is to collect sufficient data so that Volt Carbon can reasonably estimate the capital expenditures required to manufacture the proprietary portable machinery needed to conduct the bulk-sampling phase.

Although the ore processing is expected to cost an aggregate of $50K/ton, Volt Carbon expects that it will be necessary to raise additional capital to fund the manufacture of the portable machinery.

Assuming the successful manufacture of he portable machinery required, in the bulk-sampling phase, the graphite ore will be extracted from GEM's Berkwood Graphite project, GEM will crush the graphite ore to 4 inch and deliver the same to VCT's Facility for processing using the process. It is expected that the flake graphite extracted from the bulk samples will be saleable and GEM and Volt Carbon have agreed to share the profits from the sale of the same on a 50/50 basis.

In the mine production / development phase, the graphite ore will be extracted from GEM's Berkwood Graphite project, GEM will crush the graphite ore to -12 mesh and deliver the same to VCT's Facility for processing. The profits from the sale of the graphite concentrate will be split on a 50/50 basis.

Volt Carbon is a publicly traded carbon science company, with specific interests in energy storage and green energy creation, with holdings in mining claims in the provinces of Ontario, Québec and British Columbia in Canada.

Posted on 06 June 2023 in Batteries, Manufacturing, Market Background, Materials, Mining | Permalink | Comments (0)