Piedmont Lithium Ltd (ASX:PLL) has completed a bench-scale metallurgical test work program to produce quartz, feldspar and mica as by-products of spodumene concentrate from its proposed vertically-integrated Piedmont Lithium Project in North Carolina, US.
Piedmont has partnered with North Carolina State University’s Minerals Research Laboratory (MRL) to complete the bench-scale test work to produce by-products from spodumene flotation tailings.
Significantly, initial results demonstrate the commercial potential for each by-product, and Piedmont has delivered bench-scale samples of feldspar and mica concentrates to potential offtake partners for further testing.
The company has opened confidential discussions with several parties for offtake of all three by-products.
Piedmont is currently completing a resource estimate for each by-product based on the geological model used to determine the company’s maiden resource estimate revealed in June 2018.
READ: Piedmont Lithium reveals maiden lithium JORC resource
The by-product resource estimate is expected in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Piedmont is preparing an updated scoping study including by-product concentrates. This update is expected later this month.
READ: Piedmont Lithium’s high-grade results may add to lithium resource at US project
Piedmont president and chief executive officer Keith D. Phillips said: “Historically, a significant portion of the revenue from the local lithium mines was derived from by-product quartz, feldspar and mica.
“The metallurgical results covered in this release demonstrate Piedmont’s ability to recover these minerals through flotation, and we expect later this month to be in a position to quantify the impact of these by-products on the economics of our integrated lithium project.”