PLATEAU URANIUM reports 'Proof of Concept' Test work results highlighting recovery of both Lithium and Uranium into separate individual Concentrates - Seite 2

Ted O'Connor, CEO of Plateau Uranium commented: "These latest results further highlight the economic opportunity for enhancing our already robust Uranium Project with a potential Lithium by-product.

The low mass pull reported above on the separate magnetic, Li-rich concentrate and the Uranium-rich concentrate may allow the Company to reduce the Capex associated with the downstream recovery flow-sheet, reduce the size and footprint of the processing operation, as well as improving overall production recoveries of the proposed Lithium Carbonate and U₃O₈ products.

Magnetic separation and Gravity concentration are simple, well established process options with low operating cost potential. We believe that the potential value from lithium co-production represents a significant economic driver for the Macusani project. To this end, the next phase of test work will be focused on establishing more detail on the Capital and Operation cost numbers to quantify the potential value-added impact of uranium and lithium co-production to a PEA/PFS level."

Details

This current phase of work was conducted at SGS in Perth in Q2-3/2017 and commenced with a test flowsheet employing a crush-wet scrub-screen flowsheet. The screen fraction below 1 mm and above 45 micron was then subjected to a magnetic separation step.

It soon became apparent that excessive size reduction was occurring in the wet scrub step to the extent that this was replaced with an attritioning unit. The attritioning unit reduced the mass fraction of the sub 45 micron fines where a disproportionate mass of the Lithium and Uranium were reporting.

The attritioning step was found to leave much of the uranium-bearing mineral, autunite in the coarser fractions where a straight forward sulphuric acid tank leach process similar to that employed in the Namibian acid leach operations has been considered.

The sub 1 mm and plus 45 micron fraction from the screening circuit was found to be ideal for presentation to a high intensity magnetic separation. The biotite, in which lithium was present, reports to the magnetic accept fraction.

Developmental work is ongoing and there is scope for further Lithium and Uranium recovery improvements.

Qualified Persons

Mr. Grenvil Dunn, Pr Eng (RSA), C Eng (UK), FIChE, MSAIMM, MSAIChE of Hydromet Pty Ltd, a consultant to the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this release.