Zenyatta to begin pre-feasibility study on its Albany graphite deposit
September 27, 2016
Zenyatta Ventures Ltd has announced it 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, Canada.
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.
Zenyatta stated that 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.
“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,” stated Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO.
The company also announced that it will receive technical advisory services and a financial contribution of up to $350,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). “We are very pleased to receive continued recognition and support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program. This support by NRC-IRAP complements our various collaborative partnerships and allows us to produce larger market samples of high-purity graphite which will permit continued graphite and graphene application development,” added Eveleigh.
The Albany graphite deposit is said to be a unique type of igneous-hosted, fluid derived graphite mineralization contained in two large breccia pipes. The company completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment in July 2015 which indicated an open pit mine life of 22 years producing 30,000 tonnes of purified graphite per annum. Zenyatta stated that it is seeking end users for its graphite and graphene.
