Zenyatta begins 2-part metallurgical program at Albany

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Zenyatta Ventures {TSX.V: ZEN} has commenced a two-part metallurgical program designed to provide data for the start of a prefeasibility phase on its Albany graphite project located in Northern Ontario.

The program will be carried out at SGS Canada Inc. in Lakefield, Ontario.

 

Zenyatta begins 2-part metallurgical program at Albany

 
Mr. Aubrey Eveleigh reports

 
ZENYATTA COMMENCES TWO-PART METALLURGICAL PROGRAM AT SGS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE DATA FOR THE ALBANY GRAPHITE DEPOSIT PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY
Zenyatta Ventures {TSX.V: ZEN} has commenced a two-part metallurgical program designed to provide data for the start of a pre-feasibility phase on its Albany graphite project located in Northern Ontario. The program will be carried out at SGS Canada Inc. in Lakefield, Ont., under the supervision of Zenyatta’s project manager James Jordan, PEng.

 
Part 1 — production of larger market samples

The first part of the metallurgical test work is designed to produce larger market samples of high-purity graphite, which will permit continued graphite and graphene application validation by potential end-user partners, academic institutions and third party testing facilities under the general market and business development program. The market sample is being prepared from concentrate produced during flotation pilot plant testing completed in 2014.

 

It is anticipated that approximately 50 kilograms of high-purity graphite material will be produced using the caustic bake/leach method previously employed to produce high-purity market samples. Approximately 10 tonnes of drill core were processed and were representative of the mineralised zones defined in the July 9, 2015, preliminary economic assessment. Test work on small market samples completed to date has successfully confirmed the Albany graphite to have a very good crystal structure (hexagonal) with a very desirable purity and particle size for various applications such as lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, powder metallurgy and graphene production.

 

Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO, stated: “Production of high-purity graphite market samples is essential in order to create and develop relationships with end-users during the product qualification and testing process. This phase of the metallurgical program is currently in progress and is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2016.”

 
Part 2 — optimisation and pilot scale test work

 

The second part of the metallurgical test work will focus on optimization of flowsheet parameters, followed by a pilot-scale simulation of a commercial process designed for the pre-feasibility study. This program will be a continuation of metallurgical testing completed for the preliminary economic assessment. Zenyatta has shipped approximately six tonnes of composite coarse reject material (from drill core) to SGS for this pilot plant testing. The composite material was taken from 19 drill holes from the East pipe and 23 drill holes from the West pipe of the Albany graphite deposit. This optimization and pilot program will be continuing for the next several months and completed in early 2017.

 

Mr. Eveleigh further stated: “Optimisation of a process flowsheet is a common exercise in mineral development and especially so for a specialty industrial mineral product from a unique graphite deposit like Albany. We are continuing to develop a distinctive commercial process for Zenyatta’s hydrothermal-style graphite deposit. Once ready, the complete process flowsheet and associated engineering data will then be fed into the pre-feasibility study.”

 

Mr. Eveleigh, PGeo, is the qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed, prepared and supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this news release.

 

About Zenyatta Ventures Ltd.

Zenyatta is developing the Albany graphite deposit situated in North eastern Ontario. The company has completed a July 9, 2015, preliminary economic assessment which indicates an open-pit mine life of 22 years (excludes underground and open at depth), producing 30,000 tonnes of purified graphite per annum.