VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 18, 2021 /CNW/ - Rock Tech Lithium
Inc. (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") (TSX-V: RCK) (Frankfurt:
RJIB) (OTCQX: RCKTF) is pleased to announce completion of a
pilot test program and prototype production of battery grade
lithium hydroxide monohydrate greater than 99.5% purity, in
compliance with end-user electric vehicle lithium-ion battery
production specifications.
Rock Tech has been developing and optimizing a commercially
proven process technology to produce battery grade lithium
hydroxide monohydrate (BG-LHM) from various spodumene concentrates.
The process technology was developed to optimize conversion and
purification of lithium from concentrates produced at several
mining operations in Australia and
North America.
The process technology was pilot tested at Anzaplan of
Germany to demonstrate product
quality using the process design developed for Rock Tech by Wave
International of Australia.
Several test programs are in progress at various equipment vendor
test facilities to finalize the design and process equipment
selection for commercial scale solution purification and
crystallization circuits.
Through consultation with tier 1 end users, the Company planned
and delivered a high-end product specification which exceeds the
requirements of GB/T 26008-2020 D1, a Chinese technical standard
commonly considered as the benchmark for BG-LHM. The Company has
targeted such a specification in order to attract tier 1 customers,
and de-risk the future marketability of the Company's product as
customers continue to demand higher specification cathode materials
over time.
"We are pleased with the initial
test results from our batchwise pilot program in Germany," said Don
Stevens, Rock Tech's Chief Technology Officer. "The results
demonstrate the functionality of our process flowsheet to produce
high quality, battery grade lithium hydroxide and are key inputs
into the design of our first planned commercial scale lithium
hydroxide converter."
The Company has received a sample of BG-LHM as a product from
the Anzaplan pilot test program and has begun shipping samples to
potential customers (end-users) for product quality testing as
offtake discussions progress.
"Discussions with potential LHM
customers are intensifying," said Dirk
Harbecke, Rock Tech's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
"Understanding the performance of spodumene feedstock in our
flowsheet and meeting potential customer product specifications are
key milestones for us as we aim to build Europe's first lithium hydroxide
converter."
About ANZAPLAN
The Dorfner group of companies is a
leading European industrial and specialty minerals producer with
more than a century of experience in industrial and specialty
minerals processing, delivering high quality materials, purified
products and refined additives to a wide range of industries
including the chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics, ceramics and
glass industry.
About Wave International
Wave International (Wave)
are a leading consultancy specializing in the battery and technical
metals sectors, with specific expertise in the lithium ion battery
supply chain. Wave have over 18 years experience in lithium
processing, including upstream mineral concentrates and downstream
lithium chemical manufacturing. Wave are headquartered in
Australia, with offices in
the Netherlands, Mongolia and South
Africa.
About Rock Tech Lithium Inc.
Rock Tech is a cleantech
company powering the electric mobility revolution. The Company aims
to serve the automotive industry with high-quality lithium
hydroxide. Rock Tech's goal is to zero out emissions – one lithium
battery at a time by becoming the first closed-loop lithium
company, using and reusing lithium for a cleaner future.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
"Dirk Harbecke"
Dirk Harbecke
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking
Information
The following cautionary statements are in
addition to all other cautionary statements and disclaimers
contained elsewhere in, or referenced by, this news release.
Certain information set forth in this news release contains
"forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable
Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of
historical facts included in this news release, including those
regarding Rock Tech's opinions, beliefs and expectations, business
strategy, development and exploration opportunities and projects,
mineral resource estimates, drilling and modeling plans, and plans
and objectives of management for operations and properties
constitute forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking
information can be identified by the use of words or phrases such
as "estimate", "project", "anticipate", "expect", "intend",
"believe", "hope", "may" and similar expressions, as well as
"will", "shall" and all other indications of future tense. All
forward-looking information set forth in this news release are
expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements
referred to in this section.
Forward-looking information is based on certain estimates,
expectations, analysis and opinions that are believed by management
of Rock Tech to be reasonable at the time they were made or in
certain cases, on third party expert opinions. It should be noted
that, in order to achieve its objectives, Rock Tech will be
required to raise additional funding and the availability of
financing on satisfactory terms is not guaranteed. This
forward-looking information was derived utilizing numerous
assumptions regarding, among other things, the supply and demand
for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of,
intermediate and final lithium products, expected growth,
performance and business operation, prospects and opportunities,
general business and economic conditions, results of development
and exploration, Rock Tech's ability to procure supplies and other
equipment necessary for its business, including development and
exploration activities. The foregoing list is not exhaustive of all
assumptions which may have been used in developing the
forward-looking information. While Rock Tech considers these
assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently
available, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking
information should not be read as a guarantee of future performance
or results.
In addition, forward-looking information involves known and
unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, many of which
are beyond Rock Tech's control, that may cause Rock Tech's actual
events, results, performance and/or achievements to be materially
different from that which is expressed or implied by such
forward-looking information. Risks and uncertainties that may
cause actual events, results, performance and/or achievements to
vary materially include the risk that Rock Tech will not be able to
meet its financial obligations as they fall due, changes in
commodity prices, Rock Tech's ability to retain and attract skilled
staff and to secure feedstock from third party suppliers,
unanticipated events and other difficulties related to
construction, development and operation of converters and mines,
the cost of compliance with current and future environmental and
other laws and regulations, title defects, competition from
existing and new competitors, changes in currency exchange rates
and market prices of Rock Tech's securities, Rock Tech's history of
losses, impacts of climate change and other risks and uncertainties
discussed under the heading "Financial Instruments and Other Risks"
in Rock Tech's most recently filed Management Discussion and
Analysis, a copy of which is filed electronically through SEDAR and
is available online at www.sedar.com. Such risks and uncertainties
do not represent an exhaustive list of all risk factors that could
cause actual events, results, performance and/or achievements to
vary materially from the forward-looking information.
We cannot assure you that actual events, results, performance
and/or achievements will be consistent with the forward-looking
information and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect.
Our forward-looking information reflects Rock Tech management's
views as at the date the information is created. Except as may be
required by law, Rock Tech undertakes no obligation and expressly
disclaims any responsibility, obligation or undertaking to update
or to revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise, to reflect any
change in Rock Tech's expectations or any change in events,
conditions or circumstances on which any such information is
based.
The forward-looking information contained herein is presented
for the purposes of assisting readers in understanding Rock Tech's
plans, objectives and goals and is not appropriate for any other
purposes.
Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to rely on
the forward-looking information set forth in this news release.
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SOURCE Rock Tech Lithium Inc.