LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Africa-focussed explorer and developer Atlantic Lithium announced positive metallurgical test-work results in support of the pre-feasibility study underway for the Ewoyaa lithium project in Ghana on Tuesday.
The AIM-traded firm said metallurgical profiling, using heavy liquid separation at a coarser 10 millimetre crush size, delivered primary lithium concentrate recoveries of up to 80% in the dominant P1 material.

Dense medium separation replicated the heavy liquid separation results at pilot scale, providing confidence in the proposed gravity plant design to deliver an economic outcome.

Atlantic said the results supported a low capital expenditure gravity separation plant at a coarser 10 millimetre primary crush size, comparing favourably to the scoping study base case at a finer 6.3 millimetre crush.

Lithium and feldspar concentrate quality test-work conducted to date exceeded off-taker requirements, the firm added, and could be achieved using standard gravity separation techniques.

Test-work had been completed on a total of 1,700 kilograms of drill core in 64 composites tested across the Ewoyaa project footprint, with a focus on the first five years of planned mine production.

The test-work was completed in support of the now-underway pre-feasibility study, with delivery targeted in the third quarter of the year.

"Results have successfully demonstrated that we are able to produce high-purity, low contaminants 6% lithium oxide SC6 spodumene concentrate at a coarse 10 millimetre crush, which is much coarser than previously projected in the scoping study, providing potential for lower operating costs; especially within the dominant P1 material," said interim chief executive officer Lennard Kolff.

"Results have consistently delivered lithium and feldspar concentrate quality that exceeds off-taker requirements and reaffirms the suitability of a simple dense medium gravity separation process route, boding well for low capital costs, operating costs and carbon intensities.

"Results of the metallurgical test-work programme are a key deliverable in support of the pre-feasibility study, targeted for completion in the third quarter."

Kolff said the project is "exceptionally well-located", being one kilometre from the sealed national highway and 110 kilometres from the operating deep-sea port of Takoradi with adjacent grid power.

"We believe it is challenging to find better-located lithium pegmatite projects elsewhere.

"With Ewoyaa being funded to production through our agreement with Piedmont Lithium, these metallurgical results continue to highlight the exceptional potential of the project and the value that it brings to the company and our shareholders."

At 1330 BST, shares in Atlantic Lithium were up 1.3% at 50.65p.

Reporting by Josh White at Sharecast.com.

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