RE: Large/Jumbo Flake Concentrates - Low Margin Re Variability testing has been completed on its Bissett Creek Project and has confirmed that the high recovery of large flake, high purity graphite is consistent across the entire resource. The overall recovery from eight Locked Cycle Tests ("LCT") was 97% and almost all concentrate will qualify for large flake (+80 mesh), high carbon (94%) pricing. In fact, 33% of the concentrate was +50 mesh, 97% graphitic carbon ("Cg") and 19% was +32 mesh, 98% Cg which are exceptional products that will attract premium pricing based on both flake size and carbon content. In two of the locked cycle tests the +32 mesh concentrate reached 99% Cg.
Test work at SGS has been ongoing for the past year and a half and culminated in a pilot plant program in December 2011 which also demonstrated that over 50% of the recovered flake will be +50 mesh grading over 97% Cg. The overall carbon recovery in the LCT tests was 97.1% and indicate that with optimization, Pilot Plant recoveries of 90.5% to 94.5% can be increased to 95% in the full scale mill.
About Spherical Graphite
Spherical graphite is used to make the anodes in Li ion batteries and is manufactured from the flake concentrate produced by graphite mining operations. The upgrading process consists of micronizing the graphite flakes, rounding them to create a spherical or "potato" shape, and purifying them to increase the carbon content to 99.95%. Northern Graphite micronized and rounded its Bissett Creek graphite to basic industry specifications and can modify it to meet the requirements of various products and manufacturers. Spherical graphite sells for much higher prices than run of mine graphite concentrates and could further enhance the economics of the Bissett Creek Project.
Currently, almost all spherical graphite is produced from small flake concentrates (-100 to +150 mesh) and 70% of the graphite is destroyed in the process. As a result, it takes three tonnes of small flake graphite to make one tonne of spherical graphite. These losses are the single largest cost in the manufacturing of spherical graphite. However, Northern Graphite has achieved spherical graphite yields from its large flake concentrate as high as 70% which will substantially reduce production costs. The large flake nature of the Bissett Creek deposit provides the Company with the flexibility to sell its concentrates into high value, large flake markets or produce spherical graphite at competitive costs for the Li ion battery market.
Almost all spherical graphite is currently produced in China and purified using strong acids which results in large volumes of acidic and toxic waste. This method is not environmentally sustainable as the demand for, and production of, Li ion batteries increases. It is also inconsistent with the green energy objectives of the hybrid and all electric car industry. The high quality and purity of graphite from Bissett Creek has enabled the Company to develop a proprietary purification technology that is environmentally friendly and sustainable. The technology works at much lower temperatures than traditional thermal purification techniques and will result in lower capital and operating costs.
Value Added Processing
Based on the positive test results, the Company will commence engineering and design work to define the capital and operating costs of a facility to upgrade Bissett Creek graphite concentrate into spherical graphite. The objective is to provide Li ion battery manufacturers with a stable, secure source of supply that is produced in an environmentally acceptable manner. This facility will initially be based on the approximately 20% of Bissett Creek production that is -80 mesh with the ability to scale it to larger volumes in the future.
Hazen Research has been retained to confirm laboratory results using bench scale models of commercial purification equipment that will be employed in the full scale process. It is anticipated that this program will be followed by a pilot plant test and then engineering and design work to define the capital and operating costs of a commercial facility to upgrade Bissett Creek graphite concentrate into spherical graphite.
The National Research Council of Canada has been engaged to carry out ongoing testing of Northern's spherical graphite in Lithium/graphite batteries in order to optimize and customize its performance to meet the specifications of potential offtake and strategic partners and customers. NRC has advanced battery testing capabilities with various chemistries and is the Government of Canada's premier organization for research and development.