Botswana Project Update: Potassium at Elevated Levels Confirmed in Tailings
February 26 2014 - 8:00AM
Marketwired Canada
Great Quest Metals Ltd. (the "Company" or "Great Quest") (TSX
VENTURE:GQ)(FRANKFURT:GQM) is pleased to report that, further to the recent
management's visit to the Botswana Ash (Pty) Ltd. (Botswana Ash) Sua Pan Potash
project in Botswana, preliminary investigations indicate the mine effluent (also
called bitterns or tailings), after it has passed through the existing Soda Ash
and Salt processing plant, carries an increased concentration of potash (KCl)
compared with native brine. This optimal situation allows Great Quest to plan a
potash recovery operation as a simple expansion to the existing processing
facility, getting full benefit of the entire infrastructure already in place.
KCl concentrations in bitterns are reported to exceed 10.9 grams per litre
(g/L), which is more than a 100% improvement over the native brine concentration
of 4.3 g/L as measured by Botswana Ash. This compares favorably with potash
concentration in the brine from the Dead Sea of 6.2 g/L, as indicated in various
publicly available publications, where active brine recovery plants operate.
Onsite analysis by the Great Quest team reported potassium ion levels higher
than the reported KCl concentrations in the bittern, suggesting that KCl may not
be the only potassium compound present. The presence of potassium sulphate has
been noted in historical work and if such presence is confirmed, the tailings
recovery process would be optimized accordingly.
Botswana Ash has reported that brine resources for its plant at Sua Pan extend
to 2035 with consistent concentration of constituent ions. Botswana Ash is
currently updating its resource estimate and is expected to confirm a longer
life of the potash reserves, which would be favorable for the Great Quest
tailings project under study.
With the presence of the potash confirmed and location in the process known, the
company will immediately move towards a definitive agreement with Botswana Ash
and work towards a preliminary economic assessment of the new tailings project.
Commenting, Jed Richardson CEO, adds, "Great Quest is pleased with the prospect
of this addition to our portfolio. Botswana has established itself as a business
friendly jurisdiction and the project is well located in the midst of a region
with a mix of established and new agricultural investment. This unique
brownfield opportunity complements our operations in Mali and extends our
strategy of developing African projects for African markets."
While the indications of this preliminary investigation are positive readers are
cautioned that there is no known National Instrument 43-101 defined mineral
resource of potash at the Sua Pan. References to quantities are related here for
background information only. There is no assurance that any resource will be
located at the Sua Pan, or if located, that such resource might be profitably
extracted.
The technical information of this news release has been reviewed and approved by
Jed Diner (P. Geol), a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument
43-101.
About Great Quest
Great Quest Metals Ltd. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the
development of African agricultural mineral projects for local production of
farm ready fertilizers. The Company's flagship asset is the Tilemsi Phosphate
Project, encompassing 1,206 km2 in northeastern Mali, containing high quality
phosphate resources amenable to use as direct application fertilizer. Great
Quest is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GQ, and the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol GQM.
About Botswana Ash (Pty) Ltd
Botswana Ash (Pty) Ltd began operating in April 1991. The mine is located at Sua
Pan, which is approximately 180 kilometers from Francistown in northern
Botswana. Botswana Ash produces soda ash and Salt. The primary market for soda
ash is South Africa, where most of the product is used in the glass industry.
The nameplate production capacity of the soda ash plant is 300,000 tonnes per
annum. The plant also produces fine and coarse salt with a combined production
capacity of 650,000 tonnes per annum. The mine is connected to South Africa by
road and rail, the latter being operated by Botswana Railways. Botswana Ash is
50/50 joint venture between the Botswana Government and managing partner Chlor
Alkali Holdings (CAH) Group of South Africa.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF GREAT QUEST METALS LTD.
Jed Richardson, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements that
are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements involving known and
unknown risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to vary materially
from the targeted results. We seek safe harbor.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Great Quest Metals Ltd.
Jed Richardson
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Toll Free: 1 877-325-3838
www.greatquest.com
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