Surge Battery Metals Inc. announced the commencement of additional mineral processing test work on 2023 drill samples from its high-grade lithium clay discovery at Nevada North (NNLP). Working closely with Surge Director Dr. Vijay Metha, Kemetco Research Inc. of Richmond, B.C. has been engaged to provide bench testing on three composite samples of mineralized clay obtained from the 2023 sonic core drilling program. The samples are composites of three geographically diverse holes (NN2302, NN2303, NN2304) and collected from different depths within the holes.

Material was sub-sampled from the original 2.5 ft (0.76 meter) sample intervals representing lower (1,000 to 2,000 ppm Li) medium (2,000 to 4,000 ppm Li), and high (>4,000 ppm Li) grade material. Each composite sample contains 12 to 15 kg of material. Testing is aimed at determining at a bench scale how the mineralized material can be processed to separate the lithium from the mineralized rock, and from there to refine and optimize the conceptual flow sheet to produce a saleable product.

Tests will include disaggregation, followed by differential wet screening to determine Li grade, carbonate content, and other chemical parameters in the various particle size fractions present in the claystone. The material will then be subjected to leaching tests to determine extractability, acid consumption, and uptake of other elements into the leach solution. The end goal is to precipitate lithium carbonate from the leach solutions to simulate the full extractive process at a bench scale.

Testing has begun with the completion of the full test program targeted for the end of First Quarter 2024. Initial metallurgical tests on coarse rejects from the 2022 reverse circulation drill samples performed by Kappes, Cassidy, and Associates (KCA) of Reno, Nevada yielded favorable results regarding acid consumption to separate lithium from the uppermost high-grade clay unit.