Alba Mineral Resources plc announced that the graphite at its 90%-owned Amitsoq project in southern Greenland is acceptable for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).
Results of purification test work confirmed the suitability of Amitsoq graphite which can be floated to grades above 95%.
Alba added that the particle size distribution was also suitable, the bulk density was sufficiently high, and that alkaline purification achieved a carbon level of above 99.95%.
The two purification methods applied were standard alkaline purification which achieves very low levels of impurities for LIBs, and acid purification to intensify the purification process.
PREVIOUS TEST WORK
Results of previous test work conducted at ProGraphite confirmed that Amitsoq held world class flake graphite deposits and could produce >96% graphite concentrate.
These results led to Alba commissioning ProGraphite to assess the purification behaviour of Amitsoq graphite, and confirm whether the impurities in the concentrate could be lowered to typical values for LIBs.
| Method | % C (LOI) |
| Acid purification step 1 | 99.93 |
| Acid purification step 2 | 99.98 |
| Alkaline purification | 99.97 |
NEXT PHASE
ProGraphite’s recommendations for the final treatment of the concentrate involve screening the concentrate at 150 microns, with the flakes obtained being sold separately.
The remaining material (-150 micron, some 85% of the concentrate mass), which looks like a typical grade -195 micron, could be used for spherical graphite production.
“Our test work programme at ProGraphite in Germany, which has now concluded, has achieved our objectives,” said Alba executive chairman George Frangeskides.
“We can now move forward with our plans to define a large-tonnage deposit at Amitsoq in the knowledge that our graphite not only has exceptionally high average grades but is also battery grade material which can be sold into the electric vehicle sector, which is by far the largest growth market for graphite.”
Alba’s project and investment portfolio also includes Clogau gold (90%) and Gwynfynydd gold (100%) in Wales; Inglefield copper-cobalt-gold (100%) in Greenland, Limerick zinc-lead (100%), Melville Bay iron ore (51%) and Thule Black Sands ilmenite (100%) Greenland; Brockham oil (5%) and Horse Hill oil (11.765%) England.