Sunrise Resources PLC (LON:SRES) said it has started extracting a large bulk sample of natural pozzolan from its CS Pozzolan-Perlite project in Nevada as part of a collaborative concrete trail with a large cement and ready-mix company.
The AIM-listed company said it will mine a 500-ton sample of pozzolan which will then be ground in the cement firm’s existing mill and used in a number of separate commercial concrete pours where the natural pozzolan will be substituted for a proportion of ordinary Portland cement in the concrete mixes.
READ: Sunrise Resources eyes first commercial production at CS project
Sunrise said the collaboration is taking place as it continues offtake and joint development discussions with the cement company following a series of successful bench-scale lab tests. The costs of mining and transporting the pozzolan to the mill will also be shared between the two firms.
Meanwhile, the firm said a 200-ton bulk sample of perlite will also be extracted with the pozzolan for processing into horticultural grade raw perlite for ongoing market trials by potential offtakers.
"I am pleased to be announcing this important development as we continue to advance the CS project. This will take our natural pozzolan off the bench and into some real-life commercial construction projects and we look forward to continuing the collaboration now underway", Sunrise executive chairman Patrick Cheetham said in a statement.
Shares in Sunrise were 2% lower at 0.25p in early trading on Thursday.