COQUITLAM, BC, June 30, 2021 /CNW/ - Canada Silver Cobalt Works
Inc. (TSXV: CCW) (OTC: CCWOF) (Frankfurt: 4T9B) ("Canada Silver Cobalt") and
Granada Gold Mines Inc. ("Granada" or "Granada Gold") (TSXV: GGM)
(OTC: GBBFF) (Frankfurt: B6D) are pleased to jointly announce that
Canada Silver Cobalt has begun preliminary test work at SGS,
Lakefield, Canada on mineralized material from the
Granada Gold Mine in Rouyn-Noranda,
Quebec.
The planned test work was announced earlier this year
(March 30, 2021 joint news release)
after Granada Gold announced the unexpected discovery of a rare
earth and alkali metals deposit at the Granada property in Quebec during exploration for gold.
Rubidium, one of the discovered alkali metals, showed
particularly high assays and potential value based on quoted market
prices (March 23 and May 12, 2021 Granada news releases) and therefore
is an important part of the focus of the Re-2Ox test work.
Rubidium has numerous applications in various industries (see
below), including in sodium-ion batteries which may see significant
growth ahead due to their reported cost-effectiveness as stationary
energy storage for homes, the grid and data centres.
Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., CEO,
commented: "Granada currently
expects that rubidium will be treated as a zero-cost, by-product
alkali metal recovery from Granada's gold mineralized resource. The
preliminary test program will evaluate the potential recovery of
rubidium mineralization and the subsequent amenability of the
Re-2Ox process for the leaching and production of rubidium
salts. Granada Gold intends to review the viability of
suppling rubidium salts as a by-product of gold processing for
evaluation into the new fast-evolving sodium-ion storage battery
market."
Planned Re-2Ox testing
A 10-kilogram drill core sample was sent to SGS, Lakefield for mineralogical studies to
identify the minerals associated with rubidium. The studies
indicated so far that rubidium is likely in the micas and/or
K-feldspars. Analytical results returned a grade of 1,238.5 ppm for
rubidium. Distinct rubidium minerals do not commonly occur in
nature and are almost always associated with feldspars and
micas.
The test program at SGS will be undertaken in two stages. The
first stage will consist of straight forward flotation followed by
leaching using the Re-2Ox process. The second stage is straight
leaching using the Re-2Ox process. The test program was developed
to target rubidium in the mineralized zones.
Rubidium at Granada
The Rubidium mineralized material at Granada has been found to be on top on the
gold-bearing mineralized material that the company is targeting as
a gold mineral resource and for mining. Drill hole GR-20-22 was
drilled to a depth of 1,626 meters on the Big Claim 1.6 kilometers
west on strike from the discovery drill hole GR-20-20 which was
drilled to depth of 588 meters. Drill hole GR-20-22 intercepted 21
distinct mineralized zones ranging in core length from 177 meters
to 2.8 meters. Rare earths and alkali metals of note identified to
date are caesium (Cs), rubidium (Rb), scandium (Sc), zirconium
(Zr), cerium (Ce), gallium (Ga), hafnium (Hf), neodymium (Nd) and
strontium (Sr) -- others pending. While still to be
determined, the company may be in the position of mining the rare
earth and alkali mineralized zones to access the gold-bearing
mineralized material. The entire size of the rare earth and alkali
metals deposit has not yet been determined.
Rubidium in Sodium-Ion Batteries
Rubidium salts have been commonly used as an electrolyte to
improve the efficiency cycle of sodium-ion batteries. In recent
years, it has been implemented into a larger scale for further
technological advances to improve the performance rate and better
cyclability in the batteries. Sodium-ion batteries have
demonstrated about half the energy density of lithium-ion batteries
and have applications as stationary storage like renewable energy
for homes and the grid or backup power for data centers, where cost
is more important than size and energy density. Currently available
information places the cost of sodium-ion batteries to be about
10–20 percent less than lithium-ion batteries.
Sodium-ion batteries use abundant, cheap, and benign materials.
In the Earth's crust there is over one-thousand times more sodium
than lithium. It also costs less to extract and purify. Sodium
metal oxide cathodes are typically used in batteries and the anodes
are carbon just like lithium-ion batteries but can be made from
plentiful metals such as iron and manganese. The Department of
Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy in
September 2020 awarded Santa Clara, California-based Natron
Energy $19.9 million US dollars as part of a new program
to fast-track technologies, with the goal of advancing their
commercialization efforts. The batteries are now
in low-volume commercial production. Natron's first
customers are data centers and telecom companies. Sodium-ion
batteries are also more stable and safer than lithium-ion. They
have a wider temperature range, are nonflammable, and do not have
thermal runaway.
Additional Applications of Rubidium in Industry
Applications for rubidium and its compounds include biomedical
research, electronics, specialty glass, and pyrotechnics. Specialty
glasses are the leading market for rubidium; rubidium carbonate is
used to reduce electrical conductivity, which improves stability
and durability in fiber optic telecommunications networks.
Biomedical applications include rubidium salts used in antishock
agents and the treatment of epilepsy and thyroid disorder;
rubidium-82, a radioactive isotope used as a blood-flow tracer in
positron emission tomographic imaging; and rubidium chloride, used
as an antidepressant. Rubidium atoms are used in academic research,
including the development of quantum-mechanics-based computing
devices, a future application with potential for relatively high
consumption of rubidium. Quantum computing research uses ultracold
rubidium atoms in a variety of applications. Quantum computers,
which have the ability to perform more complex computational tasks
than traditional computers by calculating in two quantum states
simultaneously, were expected to be in prototype phase by 2025.
Rubidium's photo-emissive properties make it useful for
electrical-signal generators in motion-sensor devices, night vision
devices, photoelectric cells (solar panels), and photomultiplier
tubes. Rubidium is used as an atomic resonance-frequency-reference
oscillator for telecommunications network synchronization, playing
a vital role in global positioning systems. Rubidium-rich feldspars
are used in ceramic applications for spark plugs and electrical
insulators because of their high dielectric constant. Rubidium
hydroxide is used in fireworks to oxidize mixtures of other
elements and produce violet hues (Source USGS).
Qualified Person
The technical information in this news release was prepared
under the supervision of Mr. Frank J.
Basa, P.Eng., CEO of Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc., a
qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.
About Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc.
The Castle Property is 15 km east of Aris Gold Corp's Juby gold
deposit, 30 km due south of Alamos Gold's Young-Davidson mine, 75 km southwest of Kirkland Lake Gold's Macassa Complex, and 100 km
southeast of new gold discoveries in the Timmins West area.
Canada Silver Cobalt Works released the first-ever resource in
the Gowganda Camp and greater Cobalt Camp in May 2020. A
total of 7.56 million ounces of silver in Inferred resources
comprising very high-grade silver (8,582 grams per tonne un-cut or
250.2 oz/ton) in 27,400 tonnes of material from two sections (1A
and 1B) of the Robinson Zone
beginning at a vertical depth of approximately 400 meters were
identified. The discovery remains open in all
directions (mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do
not have demonstrated economic viability) (refer to Canada
Silver Cobalt Works Press Release May
28, 2020) Report reference: Rachidi, M. 2020,
NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for
Castle East, Robinson Zone, Ontario,
Canada, with an effective date of May
28, 2020, and a signature date of July 13, 2020).
Canada Silver Cobalt's flagship Castle mine and 78 sq. km Castle
Property features strong exploration upside for silver, cobalt,
nickel, gold and copper in the prolific past producing Gowganda high-grade Silver District of
Northern Ontario. With underground
access at Castle, a pilot plant to produce cobalt-rich gravity
concentrates on site, a processing facility (TTL Laboratories) in
the town of Cobalt, and a proprietary hydrometallurgical process
known as Re-2Ox for the creation of technical grade cobalt sulphate
as well as nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) formulations, Canada
Silver Cobalt is strategically positioned to become a Canadian
leader in the silver-cobalt space. More information at
www.canadasilvercobaltworks.com
"Frank J. Basa"
Frank J. Basa, P. Eng.
Chief Executive Officer
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Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release. This news release may contain
forward-looking statements which include, but are not limited to,
comments that involve future events and conditions, which are
subject to various risks and uncertainties. Except for statements
of historical facts, comments that address resource potential,
upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt and
security of mineral property titles, availability of funds, and
others are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance and actual results may vary
materially from those statements. General business conditions are
factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from
forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc.