Lithium Energy Ltd (ASX:LEL) continues to make headway on test-work endeavours at its Burke and Corella graphite assets in North Central Queensland.
The battery minerals stock is putting the ore through its paces as it works to develop a vertically integrated manufacturing hub for purified spherical graphite (PSG) — a battery anode precursor material.
Promisingly, test-work on Burke graphite ore in China has returned high-grade graphite flake concentrate, reading upwards of 95% total graphitic carbon (TGC) — an “excellent” result that paves the way for PSG development test-work in Germany.
LEL has also sent roughly half a tonne of Corella graphite samples to China, where a similar test-work program will determine whether the ore can be used as additional feedstock for the company’s proposed PSG plant (currently the subject of a pre-feasibility study).
Test-work comes soon after Lithium Energy doubled its graphite inventory to 2.6 million tonnes thanks to an inferred JORC resource estimate at Corella — a milestone that opens the door for the project’s consideration in the company’s broader development vision.
Lithium Energy’s Burke and Corella graphite project locations.
Burke graphite in the spotlight
China’s Beijing General Research Institute for Mining and Metallurgy Technology Group (BGRIMM) has finalised a comprehensive test-work flowsheet based on a representative 1-tonne sample from LEL’s Burke deposit.
With graphite grades exceeding 95% and recoveries above 85%, the battery minerals stock has proven it can make the most of conventional flotation and regrind milling technology.
Lithium Energy’s grade and recovery objectives align with typical benchmarks within the graphite processing industry — a good sign for any future commercial discussions.
BGRIMM has also completed concentrator optimisation test-work, allowing it to produce a >95% TGC graphite flake concentrate that’s suitable feedstock for LEL’s proposed PSG Plant.
These key metrics will feed into the upcoming pre-feasibility study, bringing Lithium Energy one step closer to establishing a vertically integrated facility in the Sunshine State.
The basic steps required to make a PSG product.
Corella test-work commences
Lithium Energy’s Corella graphite deposit is also taking shape, primarily thanks to the recently delineated maiden resource that delivered some 13.5 million tonnes at 9.5% total graphitic carbon (TGC) for 1.3 million tonnes of contained graphite.
By doubling its overall graphite inventory to 2.6 million tonnes, LEL is free to examine whether Corella graphite fits the bill as an additional feedstock source for its planned PSG plant.
Test-work is underway to test this theory, using the same flowsheet applied to Burke ore to determine how Corella’s performance stacks up.
Similar to Burke, bulk flake concentrate produced from Corella ore will be sent to ProGraphite in Germany to undergo PSG test-work.
If the results are good, LEL may be in a position to bulk its PSG production capabilities with both Burke and Corella graphite ore.
Corella test-work should finalise by October 2023, paving the way for development test-work in Germany (scheduled to complete in early 2024).
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