Foremost Lithium Resource & Technology Ltd. announced the first phase is complete from its Zoro Lithium property bulk sampling and metallurgical program to determine whether the Dyke 1 pegmatite can produce a 6% battery-grade lithium (Li2O) concentrate. Test work confirms spodumene-bearing pegmatite from Zoro Dyke 1 is amenable for production. In June of 2022, after the receipt of a bulk sample permit from the Manitoba government, a field crew collected 489 kg of spodumene-mineralized pegmatite using sledgehammers and chisels from trenches exposing Dyke 1 on Foremost's Zoro lithium property.

Twenty-six pails of spodumene-mineralized pegmatite were shipped to SGS Lakefield. After sample preparation, testwork on this Master Composite sample included heavy liquid separation (HLS), dense media separation (DMS), and dry magnetic separation. The metallurgical target of the testwork was the production of a spodumene concentrate containing >6% Li2O and <1% Fe2O3, while maximizing lithium recovery.

HLS testing was carried out on the Master Composite sample at a crush size of - 12.7 mm, after dry screening to remove the -0.5 mm fines. The resulting sink products and a final float product were screened into -12.7/+9.5mm, -9.5/+6.4mm, and -6.4+0.5 mm size fractions. All the fractionated HLS sink products were further passed through a dry magnetic separator to reject iron -bearing gangue.

The bulk sample was processed on a DMS pilot plant at SGS Lakefield. The bulk sample produced a final spodumene concentrate assaying 5.93% Li2O, at a global lithium recovery of 66.9% in 26.5% mass after magnetic separation. The iron content in the spodumene concentrate assayed 1.23% Fe2O3, slightly higher than the 1% Fe2O3 targeted, but is acceptable for subsequent hydrometallurgical processing.

The HLS and DMS testwork confirms Dyke 1 spodumene ore is amenable for production of a spodumene concentrate by the DMS process. DMS provides the opportunity to reject nearly 50% of the coarse waste rock (-12.7 mm) at an early stage of the process thereby significantly reducing ore transportation and handling costs for a future plant. Management anticipates rejected coarse waste rock will have 8.6% lithium at a grade of 0.41% Li2O.