Poseidon Nickel Ltd (ASX:POS, OTC:PSDNF)’s confidence is growing in the potential for nickel sulphide concentrates from its Black Swan project to be suitable feed material for Pure Battery Technologies Ltd’s (PBT) proposed pCAM refinery hub in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Leaching test-work conducted by PBT using pressure oxidation has returned positive preliminary results, achieving a greater-than-90% extraction of nickel and greater-than-95% extraction of cobalt.
Clean EV battery nickel
POS hopes to supply the feedstock for PBT’s nickel battery materials, which are destined for ‘the world’s cleanest’ electric vehicle batteries.
The refinery process will be affordable and environmentally friendly, using a patented Selective Acid Leaching (SAL) process to refine intermediate nickel and cobalt products more flexibly and with a lower environmental footprint than other methods.
Late last year, PBT announced that its $460 million flagship pCAM refinery hub would be built in Kalgoorlie.
The company has been using the technology at its European facility in Germany since 2020 and hopes to repeat this success in Australia.
Additional value for Poseidon
“We are currently advancing the bankable feasibility study for Black Swan, which includes evaluating a number of offtake options to deliver long-term value for the project,” POS managing director and CEO Peter Harold said.
“These options include traditional nickel smelters, existing leaching plants and proposed plants, including PBT’s pCAM hub.
“We are delighted that PBT’s preliminary leach test-work has returned excellent extraction results for a range of concentrate specifications that could be produced from various feed scenarios – open pit and underground – through the Black Swan concentrator.”
“If PBT is successful in the financing and construction of the proposed pCAM plant, this could unlock additional value for Poseidon from our large mineral resource base. We look forward to continuing to work with PBT as studies progress.”
Leach testing will continue on other concentrate blends from the Black Swan project.