| News Release – Vancouver, British Columbia – September 23, 2020: Defense Metals Corp. (“Defense Metals”) (TSX-V:DEFN / OTCQB:DFMTF / FSE:35D) is pleased to announce it has received the final report from SGS Canada Inc. (“SGS”) with respect to flotation pilot plant processing of its Wicheeda Rare Earth Element (REE) Property (“Wicheeda”) bulk sample at the SGS Canada Inc. (“SGS”) Lakefield, ON metallurgical test facility. The Wicheeda project has indicated mineral resources of 4,890,000 tonnes averaging 3.02% LREO (Light Rare Earth Elements) and inferred mineral resources of 12,100,000 tonnes averaging 2.90% LREO[1]. With respect to the results of the Wicheeda pilot plant, SGS stated: “The recent Wicheeda flotation pilot plant at SGS Lakefield resoundingly achieved its primary goals to validate the laboratory flowsheet at pilot plant scale, to provide data for engineering design, and to generate high grade REO concentrate. Significant opportunities for improvement remain; including further investigation of the effects of reduced pulp temperature and reagent additions, which may provide opportunities for potential future process-cost savings…” The goals of the flotation pilot plant program were to validate the flowsheet developed during previous test-work on this deposit in 2019 at pilot plant scale, to provide data for engineering design, and to generate high grade REO (Rare Earth Oxide) concentrate. The major findings of the flotation laboratory test work are summarized as follows: Average REO recovery was 77.3%, in concentrate grading 51.6% TREO (Total Rare Earth Oxide) with a mass pull of 7.0% from pilot runs PP14 to PP16C (the confirmatory stages of the pilot plant; Table 1). The major changes made in the pilot plant flowsheet compared with the benchmarking test work flowsheet were: removal of the 1st cleaner scavenger, removal of the 3rd cleaner, reduction of F220 dosage by ~46%, and reduction of sodium fluorosilicate dosage by ~40% with no significant impact on the flotation performance. The final flowsheet is presented in Figure 1. Metallurgical performance when conditioning at low temperature (70°C) was found to be comparable to that when conditioning at high temperature (80-85°C). Higher pulp density (high percent solids, ~30%) was beneficial for improving the flotation recovery and maintaining a good froth stability. The completion of pilot plant test work led to several important areas for further study that have the potential to improve metallurgical performance and reduce energy and reagent inputs leading to potential future process-cost savings; including: Confirm the performance of the flotation circuit at lower pulp temperature (e.g. 60°C). Further evaluate the effect of high-density conditioning, which can potentially provide significant cost savings on pulp heating. Craig Taylor, CEO of Defense Metals, stated: “The success of the flotation pilot and 1,200 kilograms of high grade REE concentrate produced places Defense Metals and the Wicheeda REE Deposit among rare company, and opens the door to future hydrometallurgical pilot trials at SGS, with the ultimate goal of producing a Nd-Pr oxide product stream.” |
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| About the Wicheeda REE Property The 1,708 hectare Wicheeda REE Property, located approximately 80 km northeast of the city of Prince George, British Columbia, is readily accessible by all-weather gravel roads and is nearby to infrastructure, including power transmission lines, the CN railway and major highways. Geologically, the property is situated in the Foreland Belt and within the Rocky Mountain Trench, a major continental geologic feature. The Foreland Belt contains part of a large alkaline igneous province, stretching from the Canadian Cordillera to the southwestern United States, which includes several carbonatite and alkaline intrusive complexes hosting the Aley (niobium), Rock Canyon (REE), and Wicheeda (REE) deposits. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this news release as it relates to the Wicheeda REE Property has been reviewed and approved by Kristopher J. Raffle, P.Geo. (BC) Principal and Consultant of APEX Geoscience Ltd. of Edmonton, AB, a director of Defense Metals and a “Qualified Person” as defined in National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Raffle verified the data disclosed which includes a review of the analytical and test data underlying the information and opinions contained therein. Methodology and QA/QC The Wicheeda flotation test charges were prepared by SGS from the 30 tonne Wicheeda sample which was crushed to nominal 12.7 mm (1/2”) using a combination of jaw and cone crushers. The crushed material was homogenized using a front-end loader over a period of several hours. Head grade, and concentrate products for cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium oxides were determined via lithium-borate fusion of a 0.5 gram sample analyzed via wavelength dispersion X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF). The SGS analysis included a quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program including the insertion of rare earth element standard and blank samples. Defense Metals detected no significant QA/QC issues during review of the data. Defense Metals is not aware of any sampling, recovery or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data referred to herein. SGS Minerals Lakefield is an ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO9001:2015 accredited laboratory. SGS is independent of Defense Metals Corp. About Defense Metals Corp. Defense Metals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition of mineral deposits containing metals and elements commonly used in the electric power market, military, national security and the production of “GREEN” energy technologies, such as, high strength alloys and rare earth magnets. Defense Metals has an option to acquire 100% of the 1,708 hectare Wicheeda Rare Earth Element Property located near Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Defense Metals Corp. trades in Canada under the symbol “DEFN” on the TSX Venture Exchange, in the United States, under “DFMTF” on the OTCQB and in Germany on the Frankfurt Exchange under “35D”. About SGS SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 94,000 employees, we operate a network of more than 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world. For further information, please contact: Todd Hanas, Bluesky Corporate Communications Ltd. Vice President, Investor Relations Tel: (778) 994 8072 Email: todd@blueskycorp.ca |
