Sovereign Metals Limited (ASX: SVM) is ramping up marketing of its offtake following the successful completion of its graphite pilot plant programme in Canada.
The company reported that the programme conducted at SGS Lakefield produced over four tonnes of high-quality graphite concentrates from the world-class Malingunde saprolite- hosted graphite project in Malawi.
Managing Director Dr Julian Stephens said the completion of the pilot plant has allowed the company to accelerate graphite sales and marketing activities, with the distribution of concentrates to numerous potential offtake partners already commenced.
Production of over four tonnes of graphite concentrate for distribution to potential offtake partners and for vendor testing to maximise the robustness of process plant design input.
Dr Stephens said more than 10 potential customers have already requested and been provided with samples for assessment.
He said sizing and grade specification produced by the pilot plant are highly marketable and fit within the current traditional industrial market and Li-ion battery feedstock requirements.
“The results of the pilot plant programme show a very robust, simple and now proven process flowsheet,” Dr Stephens said.
The high-grade, soft, free-dig saprolite-hosted ore, requiring no primary crush or grind provides us with a significant advantage over our hard-rock peers.
“This best practice level of process testwork has provided informative data to further validate and refine the production pathway which will be incorporated into the DFS.
“The strong response for concentrate samples by potential offtake partners is extremely encouraging and the company looks forward to updating the market as these discussions continue to advance.”
Sovereign is also well advanced in discussions with numerous Tier 1 end users and traders of graphite, particularly in the industrial space and primarily for coarser flake material.
