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Battery Mineral Resources McAra Resource near Gowganda

May 12, 2021


Battery Mineral Resources Corp. is providing an update of bedrock stripping and metallurgical sampling of the high-grade cobalt -silver breccia vein material that form the McAra mineral resource (Measured & Indicated 1.1 million pounds grading 1.47% cobalt and 10.28 g/t silver - Battery Mineral Resources Announces Maiden Cobalt Resource, April 22nd, 2021 Press Release).

Highlights

  • An excavator trenching and bedrock stripping program exposed the McAra cobalt-silver mineralized zone at surface;
  • A 202 kilogram ("kg") bulk sample was sent to Dundee Sustainable Technologies ("DST") for assay and a preliminary metallurgical assessment;
  • The mineralized material contains on average 10.13% cobalt, 1.64 g/t gold, 30.88 g/t silver, and 1.25% nickel. The assays of the testwork samples are provided in Table 1;
  • DST concluded that the McAra high grade cobalt material could be treated by pyrolysis to remove 99% of the arsenic, with no cobalt loss.

From 2017 to 2019, BMR completed 56 holes for 10,480 meters to define a NI 43-101 compliant resource and to explore the immediate area for additional cobalt-silver veins.

As part of work program, mechanical stripping of the historic showing was completed by Canadian Exploration Services Limited (Photo 1). BMR completed detailed structural mapping of the exposure that was used in the compilation of a 3D structural/geological model of the McAra mineral resource.

A 202kg sample of breccia vein mineralized material, containing very little barren host rock, was collected and sent to Dundee Sustainable Technologies for assay and a preliminary metallurgical assessment (Photo 2). An outline of the work undertaken by DST is summarized here.

The sample was crushed and separated into 10kg lots, from these lots, four 100 gram ("g") samples were taken and analyzed. The samples were assayed for gold and silver by fire assay, while the cobalt, arsenic, iron and nickel were assayed by acid digestion followed by ICP (inductively coupled plasma) mass spectrometry analysis. Sample Preparation was as follows:

  • The material was crushed, ground, homogenised and packaged into four separate 10kg bags.
  • The material was stored in a freezer to preserve sulphide integrity.
  • DST's mineral processing circuit comprised of a jaw crusher, hammer mill and a ball mill.
  • The circuit allowed for a sample to be ground to a P80 of 75 micrometres for laboratory testwork.
  • 100g was taken from each of the four distinct 10kg bags and assayed. The resulting material was used for the DST testwork.
  • Samples were assayed for gold and silver by fire assay; cobalt, arsenic, iron and nickel by acid digestion, then followed by ICP mass spectrometry and sulfur by LECO analyzer.

DST conducted pyrolysis tests on the Cobalt Zone - McAra material to remove the arsenic content by using a laboratory tube furnace with starting conditions: SO2 neutral, 900°C, 180 minutes. DST concluded that the McAra high grade material could be treated as cobalt concentrate and that pyrolysis could remove 99% of the arsenic, with no cobalt loss and a 20% mass loss to generate a calcine product containing about 10% cobalt, <0.5% arsenic and 6% S2-.

Battery CEO Martin Kostuik states; "We are encouraged that the assays produced from the preliminary metallurgical sample have confirmed the high-grade cobalt- silver mineralization hosted within McAra mineral resource. Further, the tests concluded that standard techniques to remove arsenic were 99% successful- which is an important factor in determining the potential commercial viability of the cobalt bearing material from this deposit. We are looking forward continuing our cobalt drilling program, not only at McAra but throughout our significant land holdings in the greater cobalt embayment."



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