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JULY 19–AUGUST 1, 2021 / THE NORTHERN MINER
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Alpha Lithium produces lithium products from Tolillar salar in Argentina LITHIUM
Employees study drill core at the MCSA mining complex in Brazil. ERO COPPER
| Company believes project could become significant lithium source for EV batteries
BY CARL A. WILLIAMS
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ancouver-based junior Alpha Lithium’s (TSXV: ALLI; US-OTC; ALLIF) wholly-owned Tolillar salar project in Argentina, about 170 km southeast of the city of Salta, has the potential to be a significant source of lithium products used in lithiumion batteries for electric vehicles, says Brad Nichol, Alpha Lithium’s president and CEO. The company recently produced lab-scale quantities of lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate from brine taken from the Tolillar salar using an in-house direct lithium extraction (DLE) process to produce a lithium concentrate containing 9,474 milligrams of lithium per litre. While this was limited to benchscale production, “achieving a lithium concentration this high was a great result this early in the DLE development process, especially after only founding the company about 18 months ago,” Nichol said in an interview. To produce battery-grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide from brine “requires a concentrate of at least 6,000 milligrams of lithium per litre; otherwise, it’s just not economically feasible.” Samples of the lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate have been sent to SGS Canada Inc., an inspection, verification, testing, and certification company in Ontario, to determine their purity. The test will provide a better understanding of the chemistry of the lithium products generated from Tolillar’s brine. According to Nichol, this is a critical consideration for the next steps in producing battery-grade lithium products. “The combination of high lithium concentration and low impurity levels could significantly reduce capex requirements, decrease operating costs, and improve the quality of the end products,” he explained. A 2,000-litre brine concentrate also has been sent to Lilac Solutions Inc.’s laboratory in California,
Ero Copper hits 67 metres of 9.21% copper in extension of the Pilar mine COPPER | Brad Nichol, Alpha Lithium’s president and CEO at the Tolillar salar site.
where large-scale Stage 1 testing using Lilac’s patented lithium DLE technology will complement Alpha Lithium’s in-house testing. Nichol said that the company is eager to compare its results with those from Lilac’s ion exchange technology. The testing is part of the ongoing optimisation of the DLE process, which requires a clear understanding of brine chemistry. “The DLE process is bespoke and is unique to every operation and every salar [salt flat],” he said. “The test results will allow us to determine the most suitable lithium production process for brine mined from Tolillar salar.” Alpha Lithium picked up the project in March 2020 through its acquisition of a privately held lithium exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver. Under the transaction, Alpha Lithium issued 15 million common shares and 3 million share purchase warrants on a 1:1 basis. The warrants were exercisable at 30¢ for a one-year period. “It’s a huge land package situated in a key lithium brine producing region,” said Nichol, explaining that the 27,477-hectare project lies within the heart of South America’s “lithium triangle,” an area cover-
ing parts of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, which holds more than half of the world’s lithium deposits. The project is 10 km northwest of Livent’s (NYSE: LTHM) Fenix salar, which has been in production for over 25 years and is the largest and longest producing salar in Argentina and the source of one of the world’s purest lithium brines. The acquisition of Tolillar “is a huge opportunity for Alpha and supports our long-term vision of advancing the company into a major lithium producer in the region,” said Nichol. The area benefits from an extensive network of roads, transportation systems, and power lines, including a natural gas pipeline, all of which Tolillar salar will benefit from, Nichol noted. The company has already taken steps towards bringing electricity to the site to power its DLE processing plant. Alpha Lithium is also expanding its land holdings in the area. In May, it acquired 3,800 hectares within the Hombre Muerto salar, which is adjacent to Tolillar and owned by Argentina Prime Holdings Inc. Last month, it acquired an additional 287 hectares, increasing its land position to 4,087 hectares. TNM
BY ALISHA HIYATE
ancouver-based Ero Copper (TSX: ERO, NYSE: ERO) has provided an exploration update on its ongoing drill programs for the MCSA mining complex and the NX Gold mine, both in Brazil, with a highlight hole of 67 metres of 9.21% copper at MCSA. The company’s primary asset is a 99.6% interest in the Brazilian copper mining company, MCSA, which owns the MCSA Mining Complex in Bahia state. Copper ore is mined at MCSA from the Pilar and Vermelhos underground mines. Deepening extension drilling within the Pilar mine has delineated a new open zone of “Superpod” mineralization extending over 350 metres in strike length at the deepest limits of the previously defined 2020 inferred mineral resource shell. Recent results represent some of the best holes drilled by the company in the Curaçá Valley to date. Hole FC5522 intersected 67 metres grading 9.21% copper including 21 metres at 14.14% copper (the best hole on a grade-metre basis drilled by the company) located 470 metres beneath the current development of the mine. Located on the same level,
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approximately 100 metres south of that intercept, hole FC5523 intersected 35.2 metres grading 5.51% copper including 9 metres at 8.6% copper. Mineralization remains open to depth and along strike. At the Vermelhos mine, new drilling continues to extend mineralization adjacent to mine infrastructure as well as to intersect new mineralized lenses up to 125 metres beneath the main orebodies. MCSA also owns 100% of the Boa Esperança development project, an IOCG-type copper project located in Pará, Brazil. In addition, Ero Copper owns 97.6% of the NX Gold mine, an operating gold and silver mine in Mato Grosso state. The company decided late last year to extend the life of the mine. New extensions to depth of the Santo Antonio Vein at NX Gold are highlighted by the best intercept in the history of the mine. Hole SA94A, located approximately 10 metres beyond the limit of the 2020 inferred mineral resource shell, intersected 9 metres grading 22.66 grams gold per tonne. ln addition, hole MAT20A, which intersected 2.8 metres grading 19.73 grams gold per tonne, represents the discovery of a new highgrade extension of the Matinha Vein; the new vein extension is located approximately 600 metres downplunge from the previously defined limit of the Matinha Vein. The current results include the regional discovery of two new mineralized gold systems, known as the Sovaco de Cobra and the Mata Verde systems, located approximately 1.2 km northeast and 25 km east-northeast of the NX Gold mine, respectively. There are currently 24 drill rigs working throughout the Curaçá Valley, including six drill rigs allocated to regional exploration. Nine drill rigs are operating at NX Gold and the company now has three drill rigs operating at the Boa Esperança project.” “All in all, the results from this spring drilling campaign have continued to point to the potential for mine life extension at both of the company’s producing assets,” Jackie Przybylowski, a mining analyst at BMO Capital Markets commented in a research note. She has an outperform rating on the company and a one-year price target of $31 per share. At press time Ero Copper was trading at $25.05 per share within a 52-week range of $15.98 and $29.76 per share. TNM