お知らせ • Aug 17
Panther Metals plc Reports Phase 1 Magnesium Recovery Testwork Results At Dotted Lake Project
Panther Metals Plc had announced the encouraging results of the Phase 1 Magnesium Recovery Investigation testwork undertaken on magnesium (Mg) bearing drill core samples obtained from the Company's Dotted Lake Project located in Ontario, Canada. Panther is evaluating opportunities to recover magnesium from the Mg bearing serpentinised peridotite (serpentinite) constituting the Dotted Lake ultramafic magmatic intrusive. Test Design Implement Solutions LLC (TDI) has completed a preliminary (Phase 1) metallurgical investigation on serpentine-rich ultramafic material supplied by Panther to evaluate the applicability of the Extrakt Process Solutions LLC (Extrakt) Extrakt™ leaching technology for magnesium extraction and to identify operating conditions capable of supporting future process development. As well as magnesium, which is included on Canada's official critical minerals list, Panther is targeting magmatic intrusive hosted nickel-cobalt-chromium (Ni-Co-Cr) and platinum group elements (PGE) at Dotted Lake. The Ni-Co-Cr and PGE were not part of the Phase 1 Mg recovery testwork. Phase 1 recovery testwork has successfully confirmed the Dotted Lake ultramafic intrusive as a magnesium-rich serpentine feedstock with elevated concentrations of chromium, nickel, cobalt, and other critical elements that will warrant further evaluation as potential by-products in future studies. Phase 1 recovery tests reached approximately 38 weight % (wt.%) magnesium, significantly exceeding the silica passivation related recovery ceiling of 19-25 wt.% observed during conventional single-stage leaching. The cumulative recovery achieved in tests Exp-27A and Exp-27B reached approximately 38 wt.%, substantially exceeding the recovery limit observed during single-stage leaching. The work has successfully generated a baseline metal recovery and process performance data that will inform and support the design and optimisation of subsequent test phases including a Reagent Management System (RMS). Recent Test Design Implement Solutions LLC RMS testwork conducted on similar material demonstrated a magnesium concentration factor of at least 2×, providing an indication of the potential reduction in downstream processing requirements. The Extrakt™ leaching process demonstrated the potential to significantly increase cumulative magnesium recovery while simultaneously improving reagent efficiency and reducing operating costs. Although the results are highly encouraging, they remain preliminary and require confirmation through additional metallurgical testing, mass balance verification, reproducibility studies, and techno-economic evaluation, including reagent management system optimisation, before advancing to pilot-scale testing or commercial process design. The previously reported results of the Dotted Lake 2024 five hole exploration drill and soil geochemical sampling programme confirmed the Project hosts multiple styles of mineralisation, including ultramafic-hosted chromium, nickel, platinum group elements and magnesium, and structurally controlled gold, and zinc potential. The drilling confirmed the Dotted Lake ultramafic magmatic intrusive to be a magnesium (Mg) bearing serpentinised peridotite (serpentinite). The Phase 1 recovery testwork is the first in a series of potential investigations to evaluate recovery of magnesium from the Dotted Lake serpentinite intrusive, with particular emphasis on the evaluation of alternative extraction technologies capable of improving upon conventional leaching recoveries, specifically by using Extrakt's proprietary extraction technology. Panther submitted 134kg of crushed serpentinite drill core, from the 2024 drilling programme, for the Phase 1 magnesium investigatory test work by Test Design Implement Solutions LLC (TDI). TDI is one of the approved laboratories for testing of the Extrakt™ leaching technologies. The submitted material comprised 60 samples, selected from drillholes DL24-002 and DL24-004. The 60 samples were combined into three composite samples, with the compositing strategy designed to account for down-hole stratigraphy, ensuring that the resulting composites are representative of the vertical geological sequence encountered at each sampling location. This approach was adopted to support accurate geological interpretation and to ensure that any lithological or mineralogical variations with depth are appropriately captured in the test samples. The assay data for the 60 samples indicated that the material is a chemically homogeneous, serpentine-dominated ultramafic rock enriched in critical minerals including magnesium (approximately 20 wt.% Mg), with elevated concentrations of iron (7-10 wt.% Fe), chromium (2,000 to >10,000 ppm), nickel (700-2,500 ppm), and cobalt (130-150 ppm). Calcium and aluminium contents were relatively low, suggesting limited carbonate and feldspathic gangue. Minor concentrations of scandium, zirconium, yttrium, rubidium, and rare earth elements may warrant further evaluation depending on the overall process economics. Three drill holes from Panther's 2024 diamond drilling programme, DL24-002, DL24-003 & DL24-004, intersected the serpentinite showing distinct magnesium bearing ultramafic layering, with indications of strong potential to host massive sulphide mineralisation. Drill core samples from DL24-002, DL24-003 & DL24-004 were submitted to TDI for the Phase 1 Mg recovery testwork. The serpentinite downhole drillhole intersections included: DL24-002 intersected a 214.7m wide open-ended zone of magnesium (Mg) peridotite derived serpentinite grading up to 21.7% Mg (36% MgO) with platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), and silver (Ag), and up to 5.47% chromium (Cr) between 113.3m downhole to end of hole at 328m, with 36.3m @ 18.8 % Mg (31.2% MgO), 0.13 % Ni, 0.01 g/t Pt, 0.02 g/t Pd & 0.43 % Cr from 216.0m; 7.5m @ 20.0 % Mg (33.1% MgO), 0.20 % Ni, 0.02 g/t Pt, 0.04 g/t Pd & 0.49 % Cr from 258.5m; 12.0m @ 19.7 % Mg (32.5% MgO), 0.18 % Ni, 0.01 g/t Pt, 0.02 g/t Pd & 0.63 % Cr from 304.0m. DL24-003 intersected serpentinite with 129.0m @ 14.4 % Mg (23.9% MgO), 0.09 % Ni, 0.01 g/t Pt, 0.02 g/t Pd, 0.37 % Cr from 172.0m and up to 6.65% Cr. DL24-004 intersected serpentinite ranging up to 20.6% Mg (34% MgO) and up to 1.90% Cr with 94.4m @ 17.7 % Mg (29% MgO), 0.12 % Ni, 0.01 g/t Pt, 0.02 g/t Pd, 0.46 % Cr & from 152.6m, including 4.6m @ 0.17 % Ni, 0.03 g/t Pt, 0.09 g/t Pd & 1.13 % Cr from 196.7m.