Cypress Development Corp. (TSXV: CYP | OTCQX: CYDVF | Frankfurt: C1Z1) has announced results from its lithium extraction pilot plant in Amargosa Valley, Nevada.
The interim test results were derived from data acquired during 3-, 7-, and 14-day continuous operation trials, using claystone from the company’s Clayton Valley Lithium Project in Clayton Valley, Nevada.
The trails produced an intermediate solution product containing 2,700 parts per million (ppm) lithium with insignificant impurities.
Cypress Development say this is in line with expectations and is similar to data used in the company’s pre-feasibility study. These new results will be incorporated in the company’s upcoming feasibility study currently being carried out by Wood PLC.
“All primary components of the pilot plant are operating to design. The lithium extraction and recovery areas are meeting our expectations and we are very pleased with the optimization changes completed so far, as we are now consistently producing an intermediate solution containing 2,700 ppm lithium with negligible impurities” stated Dr. Bill Willoughby, President, and CEO of Cypress Development.
“Our team is working on our pilot plant’s evaporation process to allow us to take our intermediate solution to a high-grade concentrated lithium solution, which is essentially our final step on-site. We expect this process to be completed and be tested in the second quarter.”
According the the company results show preliminary extraction rates of lithium within the washed tails of between 83% and 85%.
Impurity removal of magnesium, calcium, iron, and aluminium are all above 99%. Sodium and potassium removal in the lithium recovery area is 80% with less than 0.5% lithium entrainment.
Within the lithium recovery area of the pilot plant, results exceed expectations, with separation efficiencies for lithium and major cations exceeding 98%. The company say that this confirms the successful performance, thus far, of the Chemionex’s Lionex lithium recovery and concentration (direct lithium extraction or DLE) process. Over the coming months Cypress Development plan to continue tweaking the pilot plant to further improve throughput and efficiency. The company plans to analyse 1,400 samples collected during the recent continuous operation runs to form the basis of further optimization studies.
For further information please visit: https://cypressdevelopmentcorp.com/
