Savannah Resources PLC (LON:SAV) has formalised its relationship with a university research team led by Professor Noronha – the man who first discovered lithium near the company’s Mina do Barroso project in northern Portugal 30 years ago.
As well as the team from the University of Porto, Savannah has also teamed up with the Laboratorio Nacional de Energia e Geologia (LNEG) – a governmental research and development institution with “significant experience” in lithium processing technologies.
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So far, the trio has completed a preliminary mineralogy study and a first draft processing flowsheet for the treatment, recovery and concentration of spodumene from samples of Grandao and NOA deposits at MdB.
“We were delighted to enter into this agreement with these two prestigious organisations within Portugal,” said Savannah’s technical director Dale Ferguson.
“This agreement formalises the work that has been undertaken to date and we believe notable benefits so far have been achieved for the Project such as the noteworthy metallurgical outcomes that have been attained.
“The Portuguese government supports the development of the lithium industry in Portugal as evidenced by the recent government approval in the Council of Ministers of the 'strategic guidelines for the valorisation of the potential of lithium minerals in Portugal’.”