VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 16, 2021 /CNW/ - FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV:
FPX) ("FPX" or the "Company") is pleased
to report the results of initial field tests which demonstrate the
potential for significant direct air carbon capture in tailings at
its Baptiste Project in the Decar Nickel District in central
British Columbia. The field tests, conducted by researchers
from the University of British Columbia
("UBC") funded by FPX and the Government of Canada, demonstrate that the Baptiste
Project's tailings can sequester significant quantities of carbon
dioxide ("CO2") when exposed to air
through a natural process of mineral carbonation.
Highlights
- Carbon sequestration rates
observed during the 24-day field program in August 2020 are consistent with and, under
certain conditions, improve upon the rates achieved in previous
laboratory-based testing
- Significant rates of carbon sequestration were noted on a
continuous basis throughout the program under all test conditions,
with the highest rates of sequestration occurring in tailings
subjected to churning at daily intervals to encourage greater
exposure of the crushed material to air
- Measurements during the 24-day field program last August
indicate capture of a total of 2 grams of CO2 for each
kilogram of crushed Baptiste tailings exposed to air by churning on
a daily basis to a depth of 12 centimetres
- The experimental results indicate reaction with only 15-30% of
the available carbon-reactive mineral (brucite) in the tailings,
suggesting promising future opportunities to optimize the reaction
between tailings and CO2 in air to achieve even higher
rates of carbon capture
Cautionary Statement: The test results described herein are
preliminary in nature and may not be representative of conditions
or results in an operating environment, particularly as it pertains
to the representativeness of mineralization, moisture content,
changes in weather conditions, process water chemistry and tailings
emplacement configuration, including the rate at which tailings are
covered with fresh material, among other parameters. There is
no certainty that the results reported herein will be realized in
an operating environment. Further studies are recommended to
expand the scale of testing to better understand the potential for
carbon sequestration to be realized in an operating
environment.
"These exciting results mark an important step in our objective
to develop Baptiste as the world's first large-scale,
carbon-neutral nickel operation," commented Martin Turenne, FPX Nickel's President and
CEO. "Having previously established that Baptiste has the
potential to be the world's lowest-carbon source of refined nickel
(see FPX's news release dated January 12,
2021), we will continue to advance our understanding of the
Project's carbon sequestration potential, with further results of
the 2020 test program anticipated in the second quarter of 2021,
and a new, larger field trial planned for this later this
year."
The test program, conducted at a site approximating the
climactic conditions of an eventual operation at the Decar Nickel
District, builds on more than a decade of research on technologies
that maximize the reaction between CO2 and brucite
(mineral form of magnesium hydroxide) present in the Baptiste mine
tailings. In a natural process called carbon mineralization,
CO2 reacts with brucite in the tailings, binding the
CO2 in a benign, solid magnesium carbonate.
The test work summarized herein was completed at an outdoor site
in Prince George from August 5-29, 2020 on a representative Baptiste
mineralized composite of approximately 300 kilograms comprised of
core sample reject material crushed to 50-360 µm, consistent with
the tailings size anticipated during mine operation. Chemical
analysis of the core material indicated 1-2 wt% content of brucite,
a range consistent with the average brucite content of the Baptiste
deposit.
The tailings sample was divided into splits of 37 kilograms
loaded to a depth of 12 centimeters into eight cells in two large
containers, with local water added to achieve a moisture content of
approximately 15 wt%. One container was exposed to local
weather conditions (including precipitation and solar radiation),
while the second was placed under a shade tent to control the water
content of the tailings, which was maintained approximately
constant by the manual addition of water from time to
time.
Two physical manipulations, churning and aeration, were each
applied to four of the eight cells, with the four remaining cells
left undisturbed as controls. In the churned cells, the
tailings were manually overturned once per day to a depth of 12
centimetres. In the aerated cells, narrow holes with a
diameter of 1 cm were bored on a 5 cm grid from the surface to the
bottom of the cell to encourage a greater exposure of air to the
crushed material.
Two methodologies were employed to confirm the amount of carbon
sequestered during the test program. In the field,
CO2 fluxes were quantified using a dynamic closed system
CO2 flux chamber, which measures the concentration of
CO2 in the headspace above the tailings. These
measurements are taken on a regular basis throughout the test
period. A decrease in headspace CO2 concentration
measures the influx of CO2 into the tailings. Core
samples collected at the end of the experiment were submitted for
analysis of total inorganic carbon ("TIC") together with
blind standards. Comparison of total captured CO2 shows
good agreement between the flux and TIC measurement methodologies
and provides greater assurance regarding the measured rate of
carbon capture.
In the cells churned to a depth of 12 centimetres once per day,
carbon absorption measurements demonstrate capture of 2 grams of
CO2 for each kilogram of crushed Baptiste tailings in
the cell over the course of the 24-day trial period in August, and
with no deposition of new tailings on top. Based on this
amount of carbon sequestration, it is estimated that only 15-30% of
the brucite reacted with carbon dioxide, leaving 70-85% of the
brucite available for reaction.
In the control and aerated cells, an average of 1 gram of
CO2 was captured for each kilogram of crushed Baptiste
tailings in the cells over the course of the field trial,
representing approximately 50% of the sequestration rate observed
in the churned cells. The aeration techniques employed during
the field trial showed negligible benefit on the rates of carbon
sequestration as compared to the control samples.
Rates of carbon capture in the churned cells exceed the rates
achieved in undisturbed tailings during previous laboratory-based
testing, as documented in a study published in the International
Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control ("Prospects for
CO2 mineralization and enhanced weathering of ultramafic
mine tailings from the Baptiste nickel deposit in British Columbia, Canada", Power et al.,
2020).
Consistent with previous lab testing, these field test results
confirm that the principal rate-limiting factor for the Baptiste
tailings on the amount of carbon sequestration is the delivery of
CO2 to the brucite contained in the tailings.
Further work on a larger sample is being planned to investigate
engineering options to increase the rate and duration of contact
between air and the surface area of the tailings to achieve a
greater rate of sequestration.
Next Steps
The results summarized herein are from the first of two phases
of this initial UBC field program conducted in 2020. On
completion of the first phase of testing in Prince George in August, the tailings were
moved to Vancouver and a second
extended stage was conducted outdoors in Vancouver from September to November.
Testing during this second stage assessed the rate and quantity of
carbon capture by exposure of Baptiste material to air.
Additional testing assessed the rate and quantity of carbon capture
from injection of concentrated CO2 gas. The
Company expects to report the final findings of the entire 2020
test program in the second quarter of 2021.
The Company will expand the scope of carbon sequestration
testing in 2021, and expects to announce the details of those
planned activities in connection with the publication of the final
2020 field test results in the second quarter.
Webinar
The Company will be participating in Renmark Financial
Communications Inc.'s live Virtual Non-Deal Roadshow Series to
provide a Company overview and discuss its 2021 plans on
Wednesday, February 24th
at 4:00 pm Eastern time (1:00 pm Pacific time). FPX welcomes
stakeholders, investors, and other individual followers to register
and attend this live event using the following registration link:
https://talk-deck.com/info/live-register/?292!ut9dx30v1dy
Dr. Peter Bradshaw, P. Eng.,
FPX's Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved
the technical content of this news release.
About the Decar Nickel District
The Company's Decar Nickel District claims cover 245 square
kilometres of the Mount Sidney Williams ultramafic/ophiolite
complex, 90 km northwest of Fort St.
James in central British
Columbia. The District is a two-hour drive from Fort St. James on a high-speed logging
road.
Decar hosts a greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in
the form of a naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy called
awaruite, which is amenable to bulk-tonnage, open-pit mining.
Awaruite mineralization has been identified in four target areas
within this ophiolite complex, being the Baptiste Deposit, the B
target, the Sid target and Van target, as confirmed by drilling in
the first three plus petrographic examination, electron probe
analyses and outcrop sampling on all four. Since 2010,
approximately US $24 million has been
spent on the exploration and development of Decar.
Of the four targets in the Decar Nickel District, the Baptiste
Deposit, which was initially the most accessible and had the
biggest known surface footprint, has been the main focus of diamond
drilling since 2010, with a total of 82 holes and over 31,000
metres of drilling completed. The Sid target was tested with
two holes in 2010 and the B target had a single hole drilled into
it in 2011; all three holes intersected nickel-iron alloy
mineralization over wide intervals with DTR nickel grades
comparable to the Baptiste Deposit. The Van target was not
drill-tested at that time as rock exposure was very poor prior to
logging activity by forestry companies.
As reported in the current NI 43-101 resource estimate, having
an effective date of September 9,
2020, the Baptiste Deposit contains 1.996 billion tonnes of
indicated resources at an average grade of 0.122% DTR nickel,
containing to 2.4 million tonnes of nickel, plus 593 million tonnes
of inferred resources with an average grade of 0.114% DTR nickel,
containing 0.7 million tonnes of nickel, both reported at a cut-off
grade of 0.06% DTR nickel. Mineral resources are not mineral
reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
About FPX Nickel Corp.
FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development
of the Decar Nickel District, located in central British Columbia, and other occurrences of the
same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy
mineralization known as awaruite.
On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.
"Martin Turenne"
Martin Turenne, President, CEO and
Director
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the
statements made and information contained herein is considered
"forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable
Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events
and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as
disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian
securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those
currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to
update any forward-looking statement.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this release.
SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.