In a further update to its commercial development activities in El Dorado, Arkansas, Standard Lithium (TSXV: SLI) has now successfully commissioned the hydroxide pilot plant that it will test as one of the technology options for lithium production at its South West Arkansas project.

The hydroxide pilot plant was designed and constructed by a third-party global water and process technology vendor earlier in 2022. The technology is housed in a self-contained unit and takes the lithium chloride feed produced by the company’s existing direct lithium extraction (DLE) demonstration plant; it then converts this feed directly into a lithium hydroxide solution using a novel ion-exchange process.

The lithium hydroxide solution generated by the hydroxide pilot plant will be sent offsite to another location operated by the third-party vendor to complete evaporation and crystallization work to produce battery-quality lithium hydroxide. This hydroxide pilot will be operated at the South West Arkansas project location for several months.

“The successful installation and commissioning of this hydroxide pilot is another example of the company’s approach to using novel technological solutions to build a new generation of lithium plants in North America. The testing and operation of this pilot gives our design team and project partners greater flexibility when we come to design the commercial plant at our South West Arkansas project,” commented Dr. Andy Robinson, president of Standard Lithium.

To the company’s knowledge, the project location at Lanxess’ South plant in Arkansas is currently the only location in North America where lithium is continuously being extracted from brine using a modern DLE process and being converted into both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide.

In the meantime, with sights set on expanding its resource holdings, Standard Lithium has also been conducting an extensive geological, geochemical and geophysical review of large regions of the Smackover Formation, which is located west of the South West Arkansas project. The company and its contractors are currently redrilling an existing production well deeper into the Smackover Formation.

Additionally, the front-end engineering design (FEED) and definitive feasibility study (DFS) work for Standard Lithium’s first commercial project is also fully underway. The project – known as Phase 1A – contemplates processing the brine that is currently being handled by Lanxess at its South facility, where the company’s continuously operating pre-commercial DLE demonstration plant is located. The results of the FEED study will be summarized in an NI 43-101 DFS report during the first half of 2023.

“Our first 1A project at Lanxess’ South plant is intended to be the first of many Standard Lithium plants in the region, and as a result, we are working to actively expand our resources in a strategic manner to capture the highest quality brine assets available in the Smackover,” Dr. Robinson said.

“Based on the successful operation of our DLE plant, and our knowledge of extracting lithium from the Smackover brines and producing battery-quality lithium products, our resource team and our Smackover Formation experts have spent almost 2 years identifying key areas in the Smackover Formation that we believe are the most prospective for large-scale, high-quality lithium brine resources.”

Shares of Standard Lithium shot up 4% by 12:35 p.m. ET on the TSX Venture Exchange. The lithium development company has a market capitalization of approximately $822.8 million.

Epiroc, a leading productivity and sustainability partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has agreed to acquire the business of Wain-Roy, a U.S. manufacturer of excavator attachments for the construction industry.

The Wain-Roy business, with a manufacturing site in Kronenwetter, Wisconsin, is part of Oregon Tool. The company’s customers are mainly in the United States. Wain-Roy has about 100 employees and annual revenues of about $24.7 million. 

“Wain-Roy is known for its high-quality products and competence,” says Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s president and CEO. “This acquisition will strengthen our presence in the North American construction market and increase our capacity for manufacturing advanced attachments in that region.”

The acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter 2022.

For more on Epiroc’s mining expertise, visit www.Epiroc.com.

Sprung Structures was founded in 1887 and evolved into a major manufacturer of high-performance tension fabric buildings for multiple industries. The company developed and patented the stressed membrane structure, an innovative alternative to conventional construction utilizing architectural membrane panels placed under high tension within a non-corroding aluminum substructure.

This technology is a result of today’s mining operations’ need for a faster, more flexible and cost-effective building solution. With recent supply chain challenges affecting the market, Sprung structures can be shipped and erected much faster than typical steel buildings.

The company’s  nine inch fibreglass blanket insulation performs well in extreme cold weather climates and large cargo doors are designed to shed snow and handle hurricane force wind loads in the world’s most remote locations. The only building structure left standing in Buras, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was a Sprung structure.

Today, Sprung counts the world’s largest miners, as well as NASA, Lockheed Martin, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Apple, Tesla, FedEx and Google among its roster of clients, and the company built Tesla’s Model 3 production  facility in California in just a few weeks.

“We’re really the only permanent type of fabric structures on the market,” says Vice President Jim Avery. “We pioneered this whole technology – we manufacture, and ship what can be put up in just about any location.”

Avery adds that a concrete foundation is not required, and Sprung Structures can be assembled on dirt and asphalt. Sprung has completed over 12,000 projects in over 100 countries, and its structures meet most building codes and standards around the world.  Sprung’s military-grade aluminum alloy has advantages over steel construction, such as corrosion resistance, lighter weight, better performance, malleability, and durability.

“Initially, this technology was a temporary application, but these are engineered as permanent structures and designed to be relocated for multi-use applications with bolted connections that can be disassembled, reconfigured, and relocated,” Avery says.

“We’re very entrepreneurial, and we’re the inventor of the product.  We’ve done a lot of work in the mining industry and [have] versatility in the product. It’s not like conventional bricks and mortar or steel building, it goes up much faster, which is essential when it comes to mining,” Avery says.

Sprung also leases its structures, dependent on one-to-three-year applications with an option to purchase in mines all over the world.

“We’ve only used our product from a fabric building perspective, because it does handle the extreme wind and snow loads,” Avery says. “We use aluminum, not steel, and our tensioning method is patented, which means you never have retention in the membrane in the life of the building.”

Sprung Structures has up to two million square feet of inventory in both its Utah, US and Calgary, Canada, manufacturing and distribution centers. The minimal foundation requirements in some cases contribute to overall cost effectiveness as operating costs are lower than traditional buildings.

Sprung Structures’ business development manager Pablo Noriega points out the company also specializes in state-of-the-art dining facility structures that are a vital hub for the workforce in a mining camp environment.

Fourteen applications include dining facilities, warehouses, distribution centers, truck shops, there are many uses, in expandable modular sections. “That’s the other great attribute to the product – you can add to it,” Noriega says.

“We have many [structures] on mine sites in very extreme locations from the coast of Chile to the peak of the Andes 4,300 meters above sea,” Noriega adds. “When we have to ship around the world, even the most extreme location is going to have the structure in a few containers, and everything is well organized.”

 “The moment when we arrive on site with the containers, and in every single structure, we provide you with our technical consultant, our membrane guarantee is up to 25 years on the membrane and 50 years on the aluminum substructure.” 

The preceding Joint Venture Article is PROMOTED CONTENT sponsored by Sprung Structures and produced in co-operation with MINING.COM. Visit www.sprung.com for more information.

Oil and gas giant Shell (LSX: SHEL) is tapping into the mining electrification market with the launch of a consortium that seeks to help miners speed up the adoption of electric trucks and reduces emission without compromising on efficiency or safety.

The British multinational has attracted eight companies working on energy storage, ultrafast charging technologies and renewables to launch an end-to-end, interoperable electrification system pilot for 220 off-road vehicles.

The partners include Skeleton, Microvast, Stäubli, Carnegie Robotics, Heliox, Spirae, Alliance Automation and Worley.

Some of the key components of the power provision and energy management solution come from Alliance Automation, a multi-disciplined industrial automation and electrical engineering company.

Spirae, a technology company that develops solutions for integrating renewable and distributed energy resources within microgrids and power systems, and Skeleton, a global technology leader in fast energy storage, also apported their know-how.

Worley, in turn, is providing expertise in project delivery and consulting services for the resources and energy sectors.

Microvast, a leader in the design, development and manufacture of battery solutions for mobile and stationary applications, leads the in-vehicle energy storage side of things.

The ultra-fast charging element involves solutions from Carnegie Robotics, a provider of rugged sensors, autonomy software and platforms for defence, agriculture, mining, marine, warehouse and energy applications.

Shell described the initiative as being critical since transport equipment comprises up to 50% of mining’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Eight-year plan

By 2030, it is estimated that a battery-electric haulage truck will lower total cost of ownership, involve 20% lower maintenance costs, and 40% lower fuel costs than existing diesel trucks, Shell said.

“It is increasingly clear that no one, single organisation can solve decarbonisation alone,” said Grischa Sauerberg, vice president, sectoral Decarbonization & Innovation at Shell. 

The global company plans to be a net-zero business by 2050 in accordance to climate change strategy laid out in the UN Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit the rise in average global temperature to 1.5° Celsius.

The commercial offering from the partners is expected in 2025. It would follow a pilot solution that will be tested at a Shell facility in Hamburg, Germany, next year, as well as final field trials at selected mine sites in 2024.

Canada’s largest uranium producer Cameco (TSX: CCO) has announced a significant expansion into the nuclear services sector after agreeing to buy U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric with Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP) in a US$7.9 billion deal, the companies announced on Tuesday.

Brookfield Renewable and its institutional partners will own a 51% interest in Westinghouse, while uranium fuel supplier Cameco will own 49%.

“The partnership of Brookfield and Cameco will help drive forward the growth of nuclear power the world needs for its clean energy transition,” said Brookfield vice chair and head of transition investing Mark Carney in a statement.

The deal combines Cameco’s expertise in the nuclear industry with Brookfield Renewable’s expertise in clean energy and positions atomic power at the heart of the energy transition. It also creates a platform for strategic growth across the nuclear sector.

Among the terms of the deal, Westinghouse’s existing debt structure will remain in place, leaving an estimated US$4.5 billion equity cost to the consortium, subject to closing adjustments. This equity cost will be shared proportionately between Brookfield and its institutional partners (about US$2.3 billion) and Cameco (about US$2.2 billion).

Northcliff Resources (TSX: NCF) shared what it has discovered about new research on tungsten-ion batteries.

Research conducted by the University of Cambridge and partner Nyobolt have been investigating the advantages of niobium- and tungsten-based anode systems over lithium-ion battery systems. Several improvements have been discovered. The new type of batteries can be 90+% charged in less than five minutes, and they withstand a wider range of temperatures with reduced fire risk. They have a 10-times higher input power density, which extends their working range and allows for smaller and lighter batteries. Finally, they new types have 10-times the durability of conventional batteries, resulting in lower total cost of ownership.

Northcliff pointed out that these capabilities enable new applications and enhanced customer experience. Such batteries could be used high performance and industrial vehicles as well as a number of consumer appliances and tools.

Also, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered that by using a scalable synthesis method, they could create a novel compound of molybdenum, tungsten and niobate (known as MWNO). This compound has high efficiency, recharges quickly, and could potentially replace graphite in commercial batteries.

Should these new technologies be commercialized, they could positively impact the demand for tungsten and molybdenum, said Northcliff CEO Andrew Ing.

Northcliff holds an 88.5% interest and is the operator of the Sisson tungsten-molybdenum project in new Brunswick. (Todd Corp. of New Zealand holds the balance of the project as well as a 52% interest in Northcliff). The 2013 feasibility study is being updated, but it posits a 30,000-t/d open pit and mill producing ammonium paratungstate and molybdenum.

The Scisson project has a measured and indicated resource of 387 million tonnes grading 0.067% tungsten oxide and 0.21% molybdenum. The inferred portion is 187 million tonnes at 0.50% tungsten oxide and 0.020% molybdenum.

More information about the Scisson project is available at www.NorthcliffResources.com.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA are teaming up to map portions of California, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah for critical mineral potential.

The $16-million, 5-year, government-funded project will employ NASA’s Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer high-altitude earth remote sensing platform and MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator to collect hyperspectral data over large regions in the arid and semi-arid western United States. 

Hyperspectral data are reflections of light from surfaces, measured across hundreds of frequency bands. These measurements capture not only light visible to our eyes, but also bands of light beyond the visible, into the infrared.

According to the USGS and NASA, the data collected can be very useful in studying surface rock formations because each mineral in rocks has its own unique reflection characteristics across the various bands of light. Thus, looking for these patterns or ‘spectral signatures’ can help identify locations with high potential for mineral resources.

The research will also include evaluating critical mineral potential in mine waste.

“Mine waste is receiving increasing attention for its potential to contain critical mineral resources, particularly those that are most often produced as byproducts, while also offering an opportunity for remediation of contaminated sites,” the agencies said in a media statement. “For instance, the USGS recently analyzed mine tailings from historical iron production in the Adirondacks of New York for rare earth element potential.”

The Geological Survey has also used hyperspectral data in the past to analyze mineral potential in Alaska but it has also found these data useful for understanding a variety of other earth science and biological issues including geologic acid mine drainage, debris flows, agriculture, wildfires and biodiversity.

“This exciting scientific effort is made possible through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s investments and will enable NASA and the USGS to leverage our unique capabilities toward a common goal,” USGS Director David Applegate said in the press brief. “The data we’re collecting will be foundational for not only critical minerals research but also for a wide range of other scientific applications, from natural hazards mitigation to ecosystem restoration.”

The $16 million allocated to this project are part of a larger, $510.7-million investment provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the USGS to support integrated mapping and interpretation of mineral resources data, the preservation of data from geochemical samples from Earth MRI, and the construction of a USGS energy and minerals research center in Golden, Colorado.

Opponents and supporters of Northern Dynasty Minerals’ (TSX: NDM; NYSE: NAK) long-stalled Pebble copper-gold project in Alaska are stepping up pressure on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a decision on the proposed mine both groups deem fair.

Alaska Natives, conservationists and commercial fishermen seem confident the EPA will announce a final ban on deposing mining waste near Bristol Bay, where the project is located, effectively killing the copper and gold mine estimated to be worth $350 billion (all U.S. dollars).

“This project isn’t economical,” former Republican Alaska state Sen. Rick Halford, who’s spent the past few decades fighting the Pebble Mine, told Tribune Publishing this week. “It’s too big, there’s not enough investors. Even a big mining company would have to commit six or seven billion dollars to get there.”

Northern Dynasty said in a statement released late on Tuesday that two letters supporting the project had been submitted to the EPA in the past month. One by the State of Alaska and the other one signed by a total of 14 states, including Alaska, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyomin.

“[EPA’s attempt to block Pebble] diminishes the importance of resource development to Alaska and its people. It also disregards the State’s ability to – and history of – ensuring protection of its own fishery resources through the state’s permitting system,” the Alaska’s government statement reads.

The document signed by several states calls EPA’s move an “unprecedented abuse of its perceived authority” and warns about its implications for the future.

“If finalized … it would impose a blanket prohibition on all future, similar mining projects over a 309-square-mile area, which is 23 times the size of the proposed project footprint and comprises lands owned by the State of Alaska. This veto sets a dangerous precedent…”, the letter says.

The Pebble project has been pursued for more than a decade and faced environmental opposition from the onset. Its development has been surrounded by controversy and delays, including the EPA’s decision in 2014 to propose restricting the discharge of mining waste and other material in the Bristol Bay area, home to one of the world’s largest salmon fisheries.

Pebble scored a big win in 2019, under the Trump administration,  after the EPA scrapped the proposed restrictions. But the same government ended up denying the mine’s permit in November 2020, a few weeks after then-President Donald Trump lost the election to Joe Biden.

The anti-pollution rules proposal was revived shortly after Biden took office last year, which many thought it was the last nail on Pebble’s coffin.

Northern Dynasty’s subsidiary, Pebble Limited Partnership, challenged the legality of the new plan to protect Bristol Bay and EPA was expected to release its final decision in September. The date has been moved to Dec. 2.

Building the Pebble gold mine in southwest Alaska would include the construction of a 270-MW power plant and 165-mile natural gas pipeline, as well as an 82-mile road and large ponds for the tailings. It would also require dredging a port at Iliamna Bay.

If and when the mine moves into production, it would be the largest in North America. The current resource estimate includes 6.5 billion tonnes in the measured and indicated categories containing 57 billion lb. copper, 71 million oz. gold, 3.4 billion lb. molybdenum, 345 million oz. silver and 2.6 milllion kg rhenium.

In the inferred category, the deposit holds 4.5 billion tonnes, containing 25 billion lb. copper, 36 million oz. gold, 2.2 billion lb. molybdenum, 170 million oz. silver and 1.6 million kg rhenium. Palladium also occurs in the deposit.

The P-S mineral resource – including oxide, enriched and stockpile material that are all considered amenable to a heap leaching operation – is estimated at 143.6 million tonnes grading 1.015% copper (for 2.92 billion lb. copper), all in the inferred category.

This brings the company’s total leachable inferred resource inventory (both the Cactus open pit and the P-S underground) to 449.9 million tonnes at 0.544% copper (4.89 billion lb. copper). The total indicated resource, which only applies to Cactus, remains at 151.8 million tonnes at 0.531% copper (1.61 billion lb. copper).

Due to the increase in its global mineral resource base, Arizona Sonoran says it will consider the inclusion of oxide and enriched material at P-S in a future technical study incorporating both deposits. Future studies will be based on the expanded leachable inventory, heap leaching and SX/EW process recovery. An integrated technical study is expected to be completed in the next 12 to 18 months.

George Ogilvie, president and CEO, commented, “The significant increase to our global resource base is a key inflection point in the low-risk development of our existing Cactus project. We have increased our global leachable inventory base by over 100%, and as a result, the company has determined that a full revised study will be considered to produce an integrated business case for Cactus and Parks-Salyer. It is clear that the high-grade nature of Parks-Salyer’s mineral resource inventory offers significant potential to increase scale within an integrated operation at conservative copper price estimates.”

Ogilvie added the company will continue advancing its work study programs, specifically metallurgical and geotechnical test work, hydrology, permitting, infill drilling, and associated projects to advance the combined Cactus and P-S project through the technical study phases.

Located near the city of Casa Grande, the Cactus mine project is underpinned by a multi-billion-pound mineral resource base that would produce 56 million lb. of copper annually over an estimated 18-year mine life. A preliminary economic assessment for the project outlined an after-tax net present value of US$312 million (at 8% discount) and an internal rate of return of 33%.

The P-S deposit is located 2 km southwest from the Cactus open pit along the mine trend and demonstrates the same geological characteristics.

To learn more, visit www.arizonasonoran.com.

Stantec has been selected by Resolution Copper Mining to deliver a US$16 million feasibility study providing engineering and technical services for the Resolution copper mine in Superior, Arizona. Resolution Copper is owned by Rio Tinto (55%) and BHP (45%).

Stantec has been a lead underground mining and infrastructure consultant on the project since early 2019. Stantec will assist Resolution Copper by providing engineering and execution planning services for the mine.

The proposed underground mine has the potential to be one of the largest producers of copper in North America – supplying up to 25% of U.S. copper demand each year.

“Resolution Copper is mining a critical resource needed for the energy transition,” says Mario Finis, EVP for Stantec’s energy and resources business. “We are proud to support our client in this important endeavour with a strong commitment to sustainable mining throughout the entire life cycle of the project.”

Stantec’s engineering services on this project include power distribution, material handling, shafts and hoisting systems, dewatering and pumping, communications, and more. Additionally, Stantec is evaluating the use of battery electric vehicles to help the mine meet its goal of zero carbon emissions.

Stantec’s mining, minerals and metals team is helping clients achieve net zero mining through its holistic service offering, Sustainable Mining by Design, which aids companies to meet their environmental, social, and governance obligations by finding ways to reduce energy demand and utilize clean sources of energy.