ChemX Materials Ltd (ASX:CMX) has secured Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation (EPEPR) approval for a reverse circulation (RC) drilling programme on the Jamieson Tank project from the South Australian Department of Mining and Energy.
The drill programme is scheduled to commence post-harvest in January 2023 and comprise approximately 5,000m.
The aim is to progress the Exploration Target to estimate a maiden Mineral Resource in accordance with the JORC Code 2012.
The company has executed a drilling contract and access agreements with relevant landholders on the Eyre Peninsula to conduct its 2023 exploration programme.
Due to the opportunities being presented by the US Inflation Reduction act, the company will be prioritising manganese exploration over kaolin to become a supplier of battery grade manganese to the North American and European Electric Vehicle markets.
Supply chains for critical minerals are undergoing a fundamental realignment, which ChemX with its first class, in-house metallurgical and chemical engineering team is well positioned to take advantage of.
Exploration Drill Programme
The purpose of the 2023 drilling programme is to infill the drill spacing to an approximate 100m by 50m over the northern-most two km strike of Jamieson Tank for estimating a maiden Mineral Resource. Downhole geophysics will be employed to derive an in-situ density and support the Mineral Resource estimation.
In addition, the geophysics will be used to complement the geological interpretation of Jamieson Tank and improve the geological continuity which was identified as a risk in the Exploration Target.
The manganese mineralisation is predominantly cryptomelane, hosted in jaspilite, and positioned near surface under a thin horizon of Quaternary clays and sands.
In addition to the Jamieson Tank project, ChemX has identified further manganese prospects at Bunora West, Hodgins, Windyzell, Francis and Polinga. These prospects have not been adequately explored and offer future discovery potential and feed options for the proposed future High Purity Manganese Sulphate Production plant.
The Company has been actively engaging with industry participants in the battery supply chain to begin early qualification of its High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate. Early engagement and qualification is an essential step to secure offtake agreements for Battery Grade Manganese which is increasingly becoming an important part of the electric vehicle battery chemistry, due to its ability to increase energy density, reduce costs and increase consumer take up of electric vehicles.
Manganese Testwork Programme
In early 2022, the company completed its initial testwork programme using manganese samples from previous tenement owners. The initial testwork programme achieved manganese sulphate crystals with 99.7% purity.
The testwork programme was designed to test the efficacy of the chosen flow sheet, which achieved near specification quality without final purification steps. Two samples grading 12.2% Mn and 25.5% were composited to a single sample and submitted for heavy liquid separation at >2.95 and >3.30 density mediums.
Subsequent to the initial successful testwork programme, the company obtained a representative sample of ore from Jamieson Tank’s 2022 program, to undertake a second-round metallurgical flow sheet development programme targeting a 99.99% (4N) HPMSM Product grade.
The current round testwork is ongoing with results expected in early 2023, subject to laboratory schedules.
“We look forward to concentrating bulk composites of manganese ore from Jamieson Tank and converting it to HPMSM in sufficient quantities to allow for first round qualification using an enhanced flow sheet, developed following the first round of metallurgical testwork which produced 99.7% Manganese Sulphate,” Research and Scientific Advisor Dr Nicholas Welham, said.
For further information please visit: https://chemxmaterials.com.au/
