Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation (NevSun) has recently provided mineralized clays for testing for super-critical carbon dioxide extraction from its Gemini Lithium Product in Nevada. This is part of the company’s strategy to develop a significant lithium resource in the region.
Super-critical carbon dioxide extraction is considered an economically efficient way for lithium extraction. It is a process that is much more sensitive to the presence of lithium ions than more traditional methods of extraction. The process requires that a certain amount of pressure and temperature be applied in order to draw out the lithium. Through the careful tuning of these parameters, the process can be used to extract cocktail amounts of lithium on a small scale.
NevSun’s mineralized clays are situated near the northern region of the Walker Lake Mining District in Nevada. The clays have been tested and demonstrate a high potential for the presence of lithium in the area. The company is currently collecting and testing a variety of samples in order to determine the types of lithium and other minerals present in the samples.
Separately, Nevada Sunrise has been working to determine the types of sulphides and trace minerals present in the samples which are necessary for the super-critical carbon dioxide extraction process. The recent tests are helping the company to analyze the qualities necessary to determine if the clay samples are suitable for use in the extraction process.
Given the importance of lithium in the near future, NevSun’s presence in Nevada is an important step towards the development the growing lithium market. With the mineralized clays ready to be tested, the company is one step closer to demonstrating the viability of a lithium mining operation in the area. With this in mind, it is likely that Nevada Sunrise will continue to pursue its work to build an economically viable lithium reserve in the state.
