In conformity with the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (‘DTRs’) of the Financial Conduct Authority (the ‘FCA’), CleanTech Lithium, an exploration and development company advancing lithium projects in Chile for the clean energy transition, announces that as at the date of this announcement the Company’s issued share capital consists of 167,889,592 ordinary shares of 1p each with voting rights (the ‘Ordinary Shares’).

The Company does not hold any Ordinary Shares in treasury and accordingly the total number of voting rights in the Company is 167,889,592.

The above figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA’s DTRs.

Beaumont Cornish Limited (‘Beaumont Cornish’) is the Company’s Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish’s responsibilities as the Company’s Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and will not be responsible to any other persons for providing protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation to the proposed arrangements described in this announcement or any matter referred to in it.

Notes

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N, OTCQX:CTLHF) is an exploration and development company advancing lithium projects in Chile for the clean energy transition. Committed to net-zero, CleanTech Lithium’s mission is to become a new supplier of battery grade lithium using Direct Lithium Extraction technology powered by renewable energy.

CleanTech Lithium has two key lithium projects in Chile, Laguna Verde and Viento Andino, and exploration stage projects in Llamara and Arenas Blancas (Salar de Atacama), located in the lithium triangle, a leading centre for battery grade lithium production. The two most advanced projects: Laguna Verde and Viento Andino are situated within basins controlled by the Company, which affords significant potential development and operational advantages. All four projects have good access to existing infrastructure.

CleanTech Lithium is committed to utilising Direct Lithium Extraction with reinjection of spent brine resulting in no aquifer depletion. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative technology which removes lithium from brine with higher recoveries, short development lead times and no extensive evaporation pond construction. www.ctlithium.com

Source

Click here to connect with CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, OTCQX:CTLHF, Frankfurt:T2N), to receive an Investor Presentation

Astral Resources NL (ASX: AAR) (Astral or the Company) is pleased to report an updated JORC compliant (2012 Edition) Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the 100%-owned Feysville Gold Project (Feysville), located 14km south of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia (refer to Figure 2 below).

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Updated JORC 2012 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 5.0Mt at 1.2g/t Au for 196koz of contained gold completed for the 100%-owned Feysville Gold Project (Feysville), located 14km south of Kalgoorlie in WA (Feysville MRE).

• The Feysville MRE includes maiden MREs for both the Kamperman and Rogan Josh deposits, as well as an updated MRE for the Think Big deposit.
• Mineralisation encompassing the Kamperman and Rogan Josh MREs was discovered at an average cost of approximately $19 per ounce. This compares to Astral’s peer group, members of which are currently trading at enterprise values in the range of $38 to $82 per mineral resource ounce2.
• The Mandilla Scoping Study (Mandilla Scoping Study) reported during September 20233 included processing lower grade material of approximately 4.5Mt of Mandilla ore grading less than 0.70 g/t Au during the first five years of operations. The higher grade Feysville ore is expected to displace this ore, contributing significant economic upside to the Mandilla PFS compared to the Mandilla Scoping Study.
• The Mandilla PFS is likely to incorporate a pit shell design parameter of at least A$2,600 per ounce for mine optimisation. This exceeds the gold price parameter of A$2,500 incorporated in the calculation of Mineral Resources for both Mandilla and Feysville and, therefore, is likely to support a relatively high conversion rate of Mineral Resources into the Mandilla PFS production target.
• Including the Mandilla MRE of 37Mt at 1.1g/t Au for 1.27Moz of contained gold4, Astral’s total gold MRE is now calculated to be 42Mt at 1.1g/t Au for 1.46Moz of contained gold (Group MRE) (refer to Table 10).

Astral Resources’ Managing Director Marc Ducler said: “When we returned to drilling at Feysville in November 2022, we did so with a view to building critical mass to support our flagship Mandilla Gold Project. As our understanding of Feysville increased, we formed the view that the highly-underexplored Feysville tenement package had the potential to contribute several 100,000-ounce open pit opportunities to the broader Mandilla Gold Project as contemplated in the Mandilla Scoping Study3.

“With today’s Feysville MRE announcement, Astral is well on the way to delivering on this potential.

“The Mineral Resource Estimates across both Mandilla and Feysville are now consistently reported within pit shells incorporating a A$2,500 gold price and cut-off grades of 0.39g/t Au.

“While we acknowledge that using a gold price of A$2,500 to constrain the Feysville MRE is too conservative given the current spot gold price exceeds A$4,000, we intend to update the Group MRE using a more appropriate gold price and cost assumptions as the current data becomes available through advancement of the Mandilla PFS. To adjust revenue pricing assumptions prior to gaining certainty over cost assumptions is not considered appropriate.

“Importantly, the maiden Kamperman MRE has yielded a 1.3g/t open pit resource with a 5.9:1 strip ratio. Given our intention is to use a gold price of at least A$2,600 for pit design for the Mandilla PFS, we are very confident that a strong conversion of this resource into the production target will be achieved and, hence, make a material contribution to the economics of the Mandilla PFS.

“It is also important to note that the Kamperman deposit offers further significant growth potential based on the results of the recent 31-hole/3,834 metre reverse circulation (RC) drill program recently completed. These results are not included in the Kamperman MRE; however, one of the reported intercepts – 3 metres at 177g/t Au from 74 metres as part of a broader intersection of 25 metres at 24.3g/t Au from 68 metres in hole FRC3785 – is quite outstanding and suggests there to be scope for considerable upside with further drilling.

“Similarly, the supergene deposits present at both the Think Big and Rogan Josh MREs are also likely to have a very high conversion rate into a production target.

“Astral remains committed to further increasing the Group MRE through extensional drilling, as well as increasing the geological confidence levels – and, hence, MRE categories – through further in-fill drilling. Two rigs are currently on site at Mandilla, a diamond drill (DD) rig and an RC rig, with the RC rig expected to relocate to Kamperman before the Christmas period for further in-fill and extensional drilling.

“Astral expects to report revised MREs for both Mandilla and Feysville in Q1 next year, ahead of the anticipated completion of the Mandilla PFS in Q2 2025.”

Click here for the full ASX Release

Wall Street had a mixed week, with indexes rising early in the week but closing lower on Thursday (October 31) due to concerns about rising AI costs and weak economic data.

Despite a weaker-than-expected US jobs report on Friday (November 1), the market opened higher, helped by a strong earnings report from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), which closed a week of earnings reports by showing a massive spike in profits from its cloud and AI businesses.

Bitcoin performance, October 26 to November 1, 2024.

Chart via CoinGecko.

However, profit-taking on Thursday led to a selloff, driving Bitcoin’s price below US$70,000.

The subsequent 24 hours were marked by extreme volatility, with Bitcoin’s price swinging from US$68,840 to US$71,500 and back to US$69,350 in less than a day. By the end of the trading week, Bitcoin closed at US$69,284, reflecting a 4.39 percent decrease from its highest point this week.

AMD, Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Intel performance, October 28 to November 1, 2024.

Chart via Google Finance.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), despite reporting its highest quarterly revenue growth in two years, disappointed investors with its sales forecast, following a lackluster reception to its limited AI feature launch. Apple shares are down 4.54 percent for the week.

Both Amazon and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) reported strong overall revenue growth, with their cloud computing businesses as a key growth driver. Alphabet was trading slightly ahead leading up to the release of its Q3 report, which revealed an increase in total revenue to US$88 billion, 15 percent higher than last year’s Q3 and beating estimates of US$86.44 billion. The primary contributor to Alphabet’s growth was its Google Cloud business, which expanded by 39 percent. This growth was fueled by AI, which attracted new users and increased engagement with existing ones.

Conversely, search ad growth decelerated, decreasing by 12 percent compared to the previous quarter’s 14 percent decline. Capital expenditures, which have set a running rate of around US$13 billion per quarter this year, are set to increase in 2025, although growth will likely be smaller than it was in 2024, which may have eased investors’ worries that spending on AI will eat into the company’s profits.

Amazon and Alphabet performance, October 28 to November 1, 2024.

Chart via Google Finance.

Later, on Thursday evening, Amazon’s Q3 report showed 50 percent growth in Amazon Web Services’ quarterly operating profit to US$10.4 billion. Revenue also increased by 19 percent to US$27.5 billion. Investors appeared unconcerned about Amazon’s significant capital expenditures, sending its shares up 6.75 percent on Friday morning.

This is likely because AWS’s generative AI business is rapidly expanding. Andrew R. Jassy, president and CEO of Amazon, explained during a conference call that AWS’ AI segment is growing at a triple-digit rate, exceeding even AWS’s early growth trajectory.

On the other hand, Meta’s (NASDAQ:META) 4.19 percent share price dip was triggered by plans for increased capital expenditure and anticipated losses in its AI division, highlighting growing investor impatience with the company’s ambitious spending on AI ventures, especially as its cloud business hasn’t generated the profits seen by Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft to offset these losses.

Finally, after a disastrous performance in Q2, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) managed to restore some investor confidence. Its Q3 results beat analysts’ expectations, despite reporting a 6 percent decline in quarterly revenue to US$13.28 billion and losses of US$16.6 billion, arising from the company’s ongoing restructuring efforts. The company’s stock is up 2.34 percent for the week.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Gold is known as an attractive safe-haven investment and has been used to store wealth during volatile times through history.

It has interesting currency-like tendencies, and retains its purchasing power better than paper currencies.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) fell 2.87 percent on the week to close at 603.95 on Friday (November 1). Meanwhile, the S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) was down 0.82 percent to 24,255.16.

Statistics Canada released its August GDP figures on Thursday (October 31). The data indicated GDP remained flat following a 0.1 percent increase in July. Headline data suggests finance, insurance and public administration sectors were up 0.1 percent while goods-producing sectors fell by 0.4 percent to their lowest since December 2021.

On a more granular level, the resource sector saw a 0.6 percent gain in August, led by 1.5 percent increase in oil and gas. Meanwhile, mining and quarrying posted a 0.7 percent increase, marking a fifth month in a row of gains. Iron ore mining increased 4.7 percent, while there was a 2.8 percent increase in copper, nickel, lead and zinc mining.

South of the border, three key releases this week painted a mixed picture of the US economy before a divisive presidential election on November 5, and the US Federal Open Market Committee’s meeting on November 6 and 7.

First, on Wednesday (October 30), the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released advanced GDP estimates for Q3. The data shows the pace of economic growth in the US may be slowing, posting a 2.8 percent increase, down from the 3.0 registered in the second quarter of the year. The numbers fell short of analysts’ expectations of 3.1 percent.

This was followed by the BEA’s release of September’s personal consumption expenditures price index data on Thursday. The index is the favored indicator of inflation by the US Federal Reserve in making its rate policy decisions. Data for the month showed a 0.2 percent month-on-month increase and was in line with analysts’ expectations. On a yearly basis the data indicated 2.1 percent growth to inflation, down from 2.6 percent just six months ago.

Lastly, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released its October employment situation summary on Friday. The data indicates nonfarm payrolls remained virtually unchanged, with just 12,000 jobs added during the month — that’s well short of the 110,000 expected by analysts. Unemployment remained at 4.1 percent, with 7 million people unemployed.

The agency notes that while disappointing, the lower figures are likely temporary as it’s the first labor force survey conducted since the dual impacts of hurricanes Helene and Milton. The bureau also said the collection period for October was toward the shorter end of the usual 10 to 16 days and likely had a larger influence on its data.

Gold continued to set new highs, climbing to US$2,787.04 per ounce on Wednesday before falling to US$2,733.88 on Friday at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Silver also remained elevated, trading as high as US$34.41 per ounce on Wednesday before regressing to US$32.44 on Friday. Copper was largely flat, closing at US$4.39 per pound on the COMEX.

More broadly, the S&P GSCI (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) fell 1.27 percent to close at 534.79.

Markets were in decline this week, with the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) shedding 1.8 percent to finish at 5,728.81, and the Nasdaq-100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) declining 2.06 percent to close Friday at 20,033.14. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) fell 0.5 percent to reach 42,052.18.

Find out how the five best-performing Canadian mining stocks performed against that backdrop.

Data for this 5 Top Canadian Mining Stocks article was retrieved at 12:00 p.m. EDT on November 1, 2024, using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX and TSXVwith market capitalizations greater than C$10 million are included. Companies within the non-energy minerals and energy minerals sectors were considered.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) released their latest quarterly results this week, revealing a mixed bag as competition in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector intensifies.

Read on for more details from their announcements and how investors reacted.

You can also click here for a look at the latest results from Meta (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT).

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Asian Battery Metals PLC (ABM or the Company, ASX: AZ9) is pleased to report the results of the remaining assay data from the Phase 1 diamond drilling program at the 100% Oval Cu-Ni-PGE prospect, located in the Gobi-Altai region of Mongolia.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Massive sulphide intercept in hole OVD021 of 8.8m @ 6.08% Cu, 3.19% Ni, 1.63g/t E3¹, 0.11% Co (CuEq² 12.57%) from 107.2m is encountered in between high grade zones of:
  • Dense disseminated intercept – 7.85m @0.75% Cu, 0.78% Ni, 0.15g/t E3¹, 0.04% Co (CuEq² 2.25%) from 99.35m and
  • Net textured intercept – 15.8m @ 1.36% Cu, 1.00% Ni, 0.44g/t E3¹, 0.04% Co (CuEq² 3.4%) from 116m.
• OVD021 is located within 800m+ of strike which remains open at depth and in the SE, NW, NE and SW directions. The copper-nickel sulphide mineralisation represents a new style of deposit for the South Western part of Mongolia.
• Drilling to recommence immediately upon receipt of Downhole Electromagnetics (pending).

The Company’s Managing Director, Gan-Ochir Zunduisuren commented: “After 4 years of systematic exploration in Mongolia, with the help of the BHP Xplor program in 2023, it is exciting to be a part of an outstanding Copper-Nickel discovery. It is an exceptional result that shows the mineralisation system at Oval has potential for hosting a substantial deposit with a higher grade zone of copper and nickel. With the confirmation of high-grade massive sulphide intercepts, future exploration work at the Oval Cu-Ni discovery will primarily focus on the extension of the high-grade zone and understanding its size, true dip, and orientation. We will recommence drilling within two weeks and look forward to continuing the journey of discovery with our shareholders”.

Summary of the Phase 1 Diamond Drilling Program

During the Phase 1 program, a total of 19 holes were completed (with an additional 2 being abandoned due to drilling and core loss issues) totalling 2896.85 metres (Appendix 1), at the Yambat Project. This included 2183.85 metres of drilling at the Oval Cu-Ni-PGE discovery, 459.8 metres of scout drilling in the South-East area and 253.2 metres of diamond drilling at the Copper Ridge prospect. The abandoned holes SC02 and OVD013A (as shown in Appendix 1) provided no meaningful information and were excluded from the totals.

The Company previously reported the results of 7 Phase 1 2024 drill holes from the Oval discovery (OVD011, OVD012, OVD014, OVD015, OVD017, OVD018, and OVD019) and 2 drill holes from the Copper Ridge prospect³. Laboratory assay results from all the remaining samples from the Phase 1 drilling program have now been received. These samples cover Oval drill holes (OVD009A, OVD010, OVD013, OVD020 and OVD021) and scout drill holes (SC01, SC03, and SC04). Significant intercepts are provided in Table 1.

The most significant achievement of this drilling phase has been intercepting massive sulphides in hole OVD021, now confirmed by the assay results to have outstanding grades of Cu-Ni-PGE. This further confirms that the Oval magmatic sulphide system is a rich system capable of forming high- grade ore.

In addition to the high-grade massive, net textured, and disseminated sulphide intercepts in OVD021, other significant assay results from drill holes with disseminated mineralisation returned:

• OVD013 – 33.4m⁴ @ 0.23% Cu, 0.22% Ni, 0.07g/t E3, 0.01% Co from 111m
• OVD009A – 16.7m⁴ @ 0.17% Cu, 0.14% Ni, 0.11g/t E3, 0.01% Co from 200.5m
• OVD021 – 92.35m⁴ @ 0.27% Cu, 0.30% Ni, 0.08g/t E3, 0.02% Co from 7m and – 31.2m4 @ 0.19% Cu, 0.20% Ni, 0.10g/t E3, 0.01% Co from 131.8m

Drill hole OVD021

The drill hole OVD021 was designed to target a 98m x 16m DHEM conductor and was drilled at an acute angle along the strike of the mineralised gabbro. The true width of the mineralisation is currently unknown and the mineralisation remains open in NE, SW, up dip and down dip directions. Further investigation of the massive sulphide is the primary objective of the Phase 2 drilling program and will be targeted based on the DHEM that was used to design the OVD021 drill hole and recently completed DHEM described below.

For a more detailed breakdown of the drilling results, please refer to Tables 1, 2 and Figure 5 (Appendix 2).

Drill hole OVD021 provides additional evidence (in addition to the DHEM plate shown in Figure 2) supporting the interpretation that the massive sulphide may be injected at a high angle relative to the Oval gabbro. The hole was drilled semi-parallel to the strike of the Oval mineralisation and intersected extended intervals of disseminated mineralisation, which aligns with expectations for a hole in this orientation. However, the massive sulphide was intercepted over a shorter distance, and no additional intercepts were encountered. This outcome is consistent with the hole not being drilled parallel to the massive sulphide body and not traversing in and out of the massive sulphide due to changes in contact geometry. Drill holes being planned for the next drilling phase will test this interpretation and provide information to establish true widths of the massive sulphide, which are currently unknown.

Click here for the full ASX Release

Meta (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) both released their latest quarterly results on Wednesday (October 30), recording share price drops despite year-on-year revenue improvements.

Meta reported revenue of US$40.59 billion, surpassing analysts’ forecasts of US$40.3 billion. The social media giant’s net income for the quarter reached US$15.69 billion, with diluted earnings per share standing at US$6.03.

Microsoft, meanwhile, generated US$65.6 billion in quarterly revenue, beating projections of US$64.51 billion and marking a 16 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Both companies said AI remains central to growth, especially as they expand their tech infrastructure.

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg attributed the company’s performance to ongoing AI advancements across its suite of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

“We also have strong momentum with Meta AI, Llama adoption, and AI-powered glasses,’ he added.

However, Meta’s AI expansion comes with rising costs, and the company said it is projecting ‘significant capital expenditures growth’ in 2025. These expenses will involve heightened depreciation and operational costs related to Meta’s expanded data centers and computational systems supporting its AI capabilities.

Microsoft’s performance this quarter was similarly buoyed by its AI-driven services, particularly within its cloud division. The company reported that revenue from its Azure platform and other cloud services saw a 33 percent year-on-year increase, with about one-third of that growth attributed to demand for AI solutions.

As more companies adopt cloud-based AI applications, Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure has enabled clients to access powerful computational resources without direct investment in their own systems.

This has proved appealing to smaller businesses and large enterprises alike, according to CEO Satya Nadella, who also highlighted the role of AI in strengthening Microsoft’s competitive position in the tech landscape. “I feel pretty good that going into the second half of even this fiscal year that some of that supply-demand will match up,” he further noted.

Microsoft’s quarterly performance follows a similar boost reported by Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, which experienced a 15 percent year-on-year increase in cloud revenues in its latest quarter.

The earnings from Meta, Microsoft and Google underscore the rising significance of cloud and AI technology in big tech’s financial growth, where AI is increasingly viewed as a foundational component of operations. Analysts have suggested that AI, previously seen as speculative, has now transitioned into a key driver of returns for tech investors.

A recent outlook by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) notes that AI-centric companies, particularly those focused on cloud integration, are expected to remain profitable as enterprises rely on external providers for access to scalable AI tools.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) and Toyota Australia are set to complete a trial for the first battery-electric HiLux double-cab ute prototype, BHP announced on Tuesday (October 29).

The trial is set to begin in late November, with the prototype being sent to BHP’s Port Hedland iron ore export port in Western Australia. It will be tested there for diesel-powered light vehicle applications and tasks.

BHP will provide its feedback to Toyota when the trial concludes about a year later.

‘Our ambition to electrify our light vehicle fleet and lower greenhouse gas emissions across our operations depends on enabling technology that can only be achieved through collaborations like this, with leading suppliers like Toyota,” said BHP Australia President Geraldine Slattery in a press release shared by the company.

She added that the miner currently has 5,000 light vehicles across its sites in Australia.

Toyota sees the trial with BHP as an important milestone for the HiLux.

‘Toyota has long advocated a multi-pathway approach towards decarbonisation, and when we do something, we want to make sure we do it right,” said Toyota Australia President and CEO Matthew Callachor. “Joining with BHP to help further develop this HiLux BEV prototype is an important step in creating low-emission technologies in the light commercial vehicle space, particularly for use in harsh and demanding mining environments.’

BHP and Toyota Australia signed a memorandum of understanding in 2023, underlining their shared commitment to enhancing safety and decarbonisation measures at BHP’s Australian operations.

Prior to that, they partnered on a light electric vehicle trial at BHP’s Nickel West operations in January 2021.

“The path to decarbonising our operations is one we cannot walk alone. To accelerate the development of new technologies, we are collaborating with original equipment manufacturers and stakeholders in the industry,” commented BHP Group Procurement Officer Rashpal Bhatti. “Our work with Toyota highlights our shared commitment to developing solutions that ultimately make the world a safer and more sustainable place to live and work.”

Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Argyle Resources (CSE:ARGL,OTCQB:ARLYF) released an update about its pilot processing facility in St-Lambert-de-Lauzon, Québec, as it prepares for exploration at its Matapedia silica project.

The facility is located near the company’s silica properties in the province, as well as the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) campus. INRS is one of Argyle’s research partners.

According to the company, the pilot processing facility has undergone minimal upgrades, focusing on the assembly of three essential pieces of equipment provided by INRS. The three pieces are a ball mill, a sieving machine and a hydraulic shaking table, each of which has been designed to enhance the processing of silica samples.

The ball mill is designed for energy efficiency, and will be used for crushing and grinding quartzite blocks to create silica sands, allowing for reductions in particle size, as well as more consistent distribution of particle sizes. These are critical factors for industries relying on high-purity silica, including photovoltaics and semiconductor manufacturing.

The sieving machine is crucial for analyzing particle size distribution, a key aspect in determining the quality and potential applications of silica derived from the Matapedia project.

This equipment will enable INRS geologists and material scientists to optimize milling processes, establish granulochemical curves and ensure quality control throughout the production process.

Lastly, the hydraulic shaking table will enhance processing capabilities by separating silica particles based on their specific gravity and hydrodynamic behavior in water. This method facilitates the concentration of high-purity silica by effectively removing unwanted minerals and contaminants, thereby improving the overall quality of the final product.

Argyle CEO Jeff Stevens said that the readiness of equipment coincides with the planned restart of exploration activities at the Matapedia project in November. The primary goal of this newly assembled equipment is to process grab samples and larger bulk samples from identified quartzite silica outcrops at Argyle’s properties.

The initial focus will be on extracting 200 kilograms of bulk samples from the Matapedia project, which will undergo crushing, grinding and pulverizing to produce high-grade metallurgical silica. This process is scheduled to commence in the first week of November following a temporary access restriction due to the annual hunting season in the region.

The resulting high-purity silica will be analyzed at INRS laboratories to evaluate its suitability for various industrial applications, including solar panel production and semiconductor chip manufacturing.

The analysis will inform further research and development efforts to optimize Argyle’s silica solutions.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.