PMET Completes Phase 2 Cesium Extraction Test; Next Stage to Produce Saleable Samples

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 22, PMET Resources announced the completion of Phase 2 bench-scale testing for cesium extraction at the Shaakichiuwaanaan Project. The testing was carried out by Koch Technology Solutions (KTS), using pollucite concentrate produced from the Vega cesium mineralization zone of the project's CV13 pegmatite as feedstock, to verify the applicability of KTS's proprietary selective media process in cesium extraction and the preparation of high-purity cesium chemicals. The test results showed that the process can improve selectivity for cesium and significantly reduce impurity levels, providing a process pathway for the subsequent production of products such as cesium formate and cesium carbonate.

This Phase 2 test used approximately 6 kilograms of pollucite concentrate. The feedstock was prepared from drill core samples of the CV13 Vega cesium mineralization zone through an X-ray transmission sorting process, with a concentrate grade of approximately 12% Cs₂O. The KTS process uses a highly selective media to extract cesium, which can reduce some impurity removal steps compared with conventional cesium recovery flowsheets. PMET stated that the testing has verified preparation pathways for a variety of cesium end-use chemicals, but that it remains at the bench-scale stage at present and has not yet entered pilot or commercial production.

This testing continues the cesium extraction technology collaboration between the two parties launched in April of this year. The Phase 1 work completed in July confirmed that the KTS process has high cesium selectivity; during the same period, another cesium extraction test conducted by PMET at SGS Canada used a sulfuric acid leach process, achieving over 97% of cesium entering solution and completing tests for the removal of major impurities such as aluminum. The Phase 2 work further shifted the focus to the product pathway and impurity control of the KTS proprietary process.

In the next stage, PMET plans to carry out a complete bench-scale proof of concept, further processing pollucite concentrate from the Shaakichiuwaanaan Project into gram-scale saleable cesium chemical samples, while conducting preliminary operating cost and capital expenditure assessments. The related testing will use a new batch of concentrate produced by the BerryPick large-scale sampling program. The BerryPick program plans to collect pollucite pegmatite samples in areas such as CV13, with a target of producing 500 kilograms to more than 1 tonne of pollucite concentrate. The ore sorting test is planned to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026, with results expected to be announced in the first half of 2027.

The Shaakichiuwaanaan Project is located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec, Canada. The project's CV13 pegmatite currently hosts cesium mineral resources, including indicated resources of approximately 690,000 tonnes at an average grade of 4.40% Cs₂O, and inferred resources of approximately 1.7 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.40% Cs₂O. PMET plans to complete a preliminary economic assessment covering lithium, cesium, and tantalum in the fourth quarter of 2026, which will for the first time measure the economic contribution of the cesium by-product.