The province of Manitoba has permitted Foremost Lithium Resource & Technology (CSE: FAT) to extract a 500-kilogram bulk sample of spodumene-bearing pegmatite from its Zoro lithium project, 20 km from the mining town of Snow Lake.
Foremost aims to find out if the pegmatite from the bulk sample can produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide (LiOH) for use in the batteries that power electric vehicles.
The company said that a peer reviewed study that it conducted along with SGS Mineral Services in 2020 found that the pegmatite from Dyke 1 at the Zoro project could be processed using industry standard metallurgy to produce a 6% battery-grade lithium concentrate.
In a bid to confirm the findings, the collected sample will be shipped to a “reputable third party for metallurgical testing and process development,” Foremost said.
“This is the first step in our journey and commitment to shareholders to deliver a secure domestic supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide,” said Scott Taylor, the company’s CEO.
Furthermore, Taylor said that the company was planning to extract a bulk sample from its Jean Lake lithium- gold project, which like the Zoro project is also located in Snow Lake mining district.
“Recently collected samples from our Jean Lake lithium project returned high-grade assays of 3.89% to 5.17% Li2O%,” Taylor said a press release. “Given the similarity in mineralogy of the Beryl pegmatite to Dyke 1 on the Zoro property, the potential to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide from the Beryl pegmatite is a distinct possibility.”
The company’s 3602-hectares Zoro project consists of 16 claims. At least five diamond drill programs totaling about 8,500 meters in 60 holes and $5 million worth of exploration expenditures have led to the discovery of 12 new pegmatite dykes, according to the company.
At presstime in Toronto, Foremost was trading at 29¢ per share within a 52-week trading range of 9¢ and 32¢.
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