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Enertopia lauds further improvements in lithium extraction process

Last updated: 10:52 12 Feb 2018 EST, First published: 05:52 12 Feb 2018 EST

Battery
The goal is to produce battery grade lithium carbonate as cheaply as possible

Enertopia Corp (CNSX:TOP) has reported further progress on the process of removing magnesium from lithium brine.

The company announced a synthetic brine testing update for the recovery of lithium and, ultimately, the upgrading of its lithium to battery grade lithium carbonate (Li2CO3).

READ: Enertopia enthused as 99.99% of magnesium is left behind in lithium host rock in Clayton Valley tests

The goals of this project are to test, in a precise manner, the effect of higher solution temperature with a constant pH - the negative log of hydrogen ion concentration in a water-based solution - of 11.0 in leach solutions used to create synthetic brines by the dissolution of lithium (Li) from source rock from the company's Clayton Valley project in Nevada.

The latest synthetic lithium brines were created by leaching one part lithium-bearing source rock (200 grams) to three parts solution (600 milligrams/lithium) at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius.

The pH of the leach solution was adjusted to 11.0 using sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The synthetic brine was produced by allowing the solution to leach Li and other elements from the source rock over a period of two hours. At the conclusion of the two hour period, the synthetic brine was produced by removing insoluble residue from the solution by filtration. The resulting brine was then submitted for testing.

The data currently being compiled from this and previous tests will be used to create various synthetic lithium brines as part of the upcoming bench testing through the GWT ENERLET lithium extraction system.

Synthetic lithium brine solution produced from leaching of bulk sample GWT002 by alkaline leaching (with a pH of 11) at 80 degrees Celsius for two hours, returned the highest Lithium with the lowest magnesium (Mg) results from the synthetic lithium brine solution, Enertopia highlighted.

Lithium values averaged 225 parts per million (ppm) and only 0.085 ppm Mg in solution were found in synthetic lithium brine produced by alkaline leach from bulk sample GWT-002. For comparison, the disclosed inferred brine resource of one of the properties in Clayton Valley, has an average lithium grade of 123 ppm and over 200 ppm magnesium, requiring additional cost to separate magnesium and thus produce an acceptable lithium carbonate product.

Enertiopia said its updated synthetic lithium brine test, produced by alkaline leach of its source rock, returned values 82.9% higher in lithium and contains less than 1/2,300 Mg based on a comparison. The above-average lithium values of 225 ppm are also more than the current reported producing brines from the only lithium producing brine operation in the United States today, the company added.

Lithium in solution was computed to be over 50% of lithium in the source rock. While this is a 20% increase from Enertopia's earlier test numbers it is targeting a further increase in the lithium-in-solution grade, using a more concentrated solution or industry standard separation technologies, or both.

Enertopia continues to work vigorously on unlocking the value of the lithium-bearing rock at the surface along the uplifted block along the eastern flank at Clayton Valley.

Further testing of lithium source rock and pH controlled liquid ratios will continue in combination with testing of other separation methods that will be ongoing over the first quarter of 2018.

"Modern technology is revolutionizing ways to mine and protect our environment. We are enthusiastic about becoming leaders in this evolution," said the president and chief executive officer, Robert McAllister.

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on 3/4/20