Talon Metals Corp announced that it has successfully drilled 101.71 meters (m) of high-grade nickel-copper mineralization grading 1.94% nickel, 1.84% copper, 0.35 grams per tonne (g/t) palladium, 0.64 g/t platinum, and 0.62 g/t gold, or 3.04% nickel equivalent, at the Tamarack nickel project in Minnesota.
The base metals company said the drill hole was completed in partnership with a research team from Columbia University that is funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) program that funds novel approaches to enhanced metal recoveries within the mining industry.
"The goal of this Columbia collaboration is to both add to our understanding of the ore body, while also supporting research aimed at recovering additional nickel, copper and other critical minerals used in clean energy systems," Talon Metals CEO Henri van Rooyen said in a statement.
Talon’s chief exploration officer and chief operating officer Brian Goldner also commented, stating: "One exciting aspect of this drill hole is that the copper and PGE (platinum group elements) grades are much higher than anticipated compared to the nickel grades, especially in the lower zone of mineralization where 12.4 meters assayed at 2.98% nickel, 3.84% copper, 1.38 g/t palladium, 2.79 g/t platinum, and 2.68 g/t gold."
The company noted the R&D programs aim to increase US nickel production and lower the overall cost of nickel extraction compared to standard industry practices.
Talon Metals is a TSX-listed base metals company developing the high-grade Tamarack nickel-copper-cobalt project located in central Minnesota.
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