Prophecy Technology Partner NWME Produces 98.6% Pure V2O5 (Vanadium Pentoxide) from Gibellini Samples, Aims for 99.5% V2O5 Next Run
Prophecy Technology Partner NWME Produces 98.6% Pure
V2O5 (Vanadium Pentoxide) from Gibellini Samples,
Aims for 99.5% V2O5 Next Run
Vancouver, British Columbia, August 14, 2018 – Prophecy Development Corp.
(“Prophecy” or the “Company”) (TSX:PCY, OTCQX:PRPCF, Frankfurt:1P2N) is pleased to
announce the results from the metallurgical tests conducted by Northwest Nonferrous Metals Mining
Group Co., Ltd. (“NWME”) on samples collected from the Company’s Gibellini Vanadium Project (the
“Project”). Samples were collected by NWME’s technical team during their visit to the Project’s site in
February 2018, with tests performed at NWME’s facility in Xian, China.
98.6% V2O5 Produced on the 1st Run with Simple Conventional Flowsheet
NWME used solvent extraction ( “SX”) processing method to recover vanadium from sulfuric acid
pregnant leach solution ( “PLS”) generated by bottle roll and column test acid leaching on Gibellini
samples. T he solution was reduced and then precipitated using ammonia to make ammonium
metavanadate (“AMV”). The AMV was calcined and heated then cooled and pulverized. A vanadium
pentoxide with 98.56 % purity content was produced. The assay for this work is shown below:
Gibellini vanadium pentoxide assay
V2O5 % SI % Fe % P % S % As % Na2O % K2O % Al % U %
98.56 0.0078 0.88 0.058 0.47 0.0026 0.43 0.052 0.22 0.0001
Uranium content is less than 0.0001% which does not affect the marketability of the product.
The PLS was produced with very low deleterious elements which enabled using an efficient SX
process. The PLS V2O5 concentration was 1.15 gram per liter and the Pregnant Strip Solution V2O5
concentration was 39.61 grams per liter.
Overall Vanadium Recovery of Over 60% and Low Acid Consumption
PLS was produced from both bottle roll and column tests. Sulfuric acid was added to the feed material
with the bottle rolling for 1 hour, then the open bottle was allowed to cure for 24 hours and water was
added to the bottle to attain the desired density (40%). Initial samples were taken at 6 hours, 12 hours,
24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours and then once a day until the bottle roll was completed.
In column tests, sulfuric acid was added to the feed material and the material was allowed to cure for
24 hours before initiating the leaching. Leaching was conducted by applying 108 grams per liter acid
solution over the material. PLS was collected every 24 hours and samples were taken for vanadium
analysis. All the tests were performed at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure.
The results of the tests are given below:
Test Leach
Time
Vanadium
Recovery %
Sulfuric Acid
Consumed kg/t
Column Test 21 days 70.74 100
Bottle Roll Test - investigate the effect of the curing
method and increase of sulfuric acid addition on the
vanadium recovery
50 hours 62.8 150
Bottle Roll Test - investigate addition of NWME
prepared leaching agent on the vanadium recovery 144 hours 66.5 100
Bottle Roll Test - investigate the leaching of coarse
feed (2mm) on the vanadium recovery 216 hours 63.7 100
The results of the bottle roll and column leach tests performed by NWME largely validate the results
of previous tests performed by McClelland Laboratories on Gibellini bulk sample in 2013 (18 tons of
material).
The NWME test samples were not agglomerated and were on short leach time of 21 days for column
tests and 5 days for bottle roll tests . Prophecy studied both the NWME test and McClelland test in
detail and believe the results were consistent, whereby 70% recovery can be achieved with longer
leach cycle (over 100 days McClelland Laboratories vs 21 days NWME) and less acid consumption
(50 kg of acid per tonne of material McClelland Laboratories vs 100 kg of acid per tonne of material
NWME)
A summary of acid heap leach tests of a Gibellini bulk sample, completed at McClelland Laboratories,
September 4, 2013 is tabulated below:
Size Test Type Time
(Days)
Vanadium
Recovery
%
Head
Grade %
V2O5
Sulfuric Acid
Consumed
kg/t
50 mm (2”) Column, open
circuit 123 76.6 0.53 39.9
12.5 mm (1/2”) Column, open
circuit 123 80.2 0.56 32.7
12.5 mm (1/2”) Column,
closed circuit 230 68.3 0.51 38.1
12.5 mm (1/2”) Column,
closed circuit 198 74.0 0.56 43.5
12.5 mm (1/2”) Bottle Roll 4 67.1 0.51 33.6
1.7 mm (-10m) Bottle Roll 4 66.3 0.51 29.9
-75µ Bottle Roll 4 67.6 0.50 28.1
-75µ Bottle Roll 30 74.2 0.53 24.5
Representative Feed Grade with Benign T est Conditions that Can be Replicated in Commercial
Setting
The leaching bottle roll and column tests were performed at room temperature and at atmospheric
pressure based on Gibellini’s representative grade from grab sampling method across the width of the
mineralization at various locations of the Project. These samples are characterized in the following
table:
Sample
Number Sample ID Weight
kg
Head
Grade
V2O5 (%)
1 18-L6-28 17.0 0.665
2 18-L6-29 17.0 0.885
3 18-L6-30 12.5 0.370
4 18-L6-31 18.0 0.210
5 18-L6-32 13.5 0.420
6 18-L6-33 22.5 0.280
7 18-L6-34 19.0 0.315
8 18-L6-35 20.0 0.185
9 18-L6-36 18.0 0.165
10 18-L6-37 20.0 0.195
Total 177.5
For the purpose of metallurgical testing, the samples were mixed to produce a composite material with
the average grade of 0.30% V2O5 which is representative of Gibellini resource grade. The composite
material was ground to -75 μm feed. Prophecy believes the test conditions can easily be replicated in
a commercial heap leach setting with low technical and implementation risk.
Unique Vanadium Mineralogy in Achieving Remarkable Recovery at Room Temperature and
Atmospheric Pressure
NWME performed detailed mineralogical analysis which included microscope identification using Carl
Zeiss Axioskop, XRD analysis on Bruker D8-A25 XRD, multi-element analysis, electron probe X-ray
microanalysis on JEOL JXA 8230 , scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X -ray
spectroscopy analysis on Mineral Liberation Anal yzer 650 and V element phase analysis. This
mineralogical analysis confirmed that the Gibellini resource has a high percentage of independent
vanadium minerals (“IVM”) such as kazakhstanite, shubnelite , sherwoodite, bokite, which can be
leached easily at room temperature and atmospheric pressure within a short time frame.
NWME noted the unique nature of the Gibellini samples with over 45% IVM versus numerous other
typical black shale deposits which they have encountered containing less than 10% IVM.
All of the testwork carried out on the material from the Project indicate that there is a two-stage leaching
phenomenon in Gibellini ore - about 50% of the vanadium leaches in the first 96 hours (independent
vanadium minerals), and the remaining leaching approximately 15 to 20% occurs over a longer time
horizon.
Heap leaching is the lowest -cost recovery method compared to roasting, and pressured container
VAC leaching, whereby capital costs can compound to multiple times greater for the same throughput.
Gibellini’s high IVM content is a key competitive differentiator which places the deposit in the top tier
of black shale deposits in terms of pre-production capital cost required based on NWME’s research.
The mineralogical results of the Gibellini ore as characterized by NWME’s testwork is shown in the
following table:
Mineral composition Mineral
content %
V content in
minerals % V distribution %
Independent
vanadium minerals
45.2% of vanadium
content
Kazakhstanite 0.15 40.91 19.77
Shubnelite 0.13 27.86 11.67
Sherwoodite 0.08 34.54 8.90
Bokite 0.03 36.51 3.53
Melanovanadite 0.01 41.27 1.33
Vanadium-bearing
layered
aluminosilicate
minerals
20.8% of vanadium
content
Sericite 8.59 0.57 14.63
Illite 5.58 0.28 5.03
Chlorite 0.81 0.44 1.14
Nacrite-palygorskite 0.70 - -
Vanadium-bearing
layered iron oxide,
sulfate
34% of vanadium
content
Limonite 1.76 5.48 31.07
Strengite 0.64 0.49 1.01
Jarosite 0.48 1.24 1.92
Gangue
Quartz 75.88 - -
Apatite 2.83 - -
Potassium feldspar 0.73 - -
Dolomite 0.66 - -
Carbonaceous 0.45 - -
Rutile 0.25 - -
Barite 0.04 - -
Pyrite 0.20 - -
Total 100.00 100.00
Low Carbon Content Results in Exceptional Low Acid Consumption
NWME detailed mineralogical analysis which included microscope identification using Carl Zeiss
Axioskop, XRD analysis on Bruker D8 -A25 XRD, multi-element analysis, electron probe X -ray
microanalysis on JEOL JXA 8230, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X -ray
spectroscopy analysis on Mineral Liberation Analyzer 650 and V element phase analysis, confirmed
the extremely low carbonaceous content of Gibellini’s oxide and transition samples. This explains the
low acid consumption (less than 50 kg per tonne) compared to other average black shale deposits of
200 kg to 300 kg per tonne based on extensive NWME data compilation. Given acid cost accounts for
approximately 50% of the Project’s operating expenses, Gibellini’s low carbon content is a key
competitive differentiator which places it in the top tier of black shale deposits in terms of processing
cost based on NWME’s findings.
The following table is a generalized comparison of Gibellini’s deposit to a composite of typical black
shale vanadium deposits:
Gibellini Vanadium Deposit Black Shale Series Vanadium Deposits
Host Rock Silica State Carbon Siliceous Rocks with Mudstone
The Mineral
Composition
High Silica, Low Aluminium and Low
Carbonaceous.
SiO2-78.40%; Al2O3 - 4.13%; T(C) - 0.47%
High Silica, High Aluminum and High
Carbonaceous.
SiO2-62-93%; Al2O3 > 7%; T(C) > 10%
The next step for NWME will be to investigate the application of NWME’s proprietary technology to
Gibellini mineral to produce a high purity vanadium pentoxide product with 99.5% V2O5 content.
During the Prophecy’s team visit to NWME’s processing facilities in China in June 2018, NWME
commented that its own black -shale vanadium mine produces exclusively 99.5% V2O5 which
commands a 15 to 25% pricing premium (compared to benchmark 98% purity) to supply to the
vanadium battery, chemical, and aerospace industries. Prophecy has prepared the representative
samples from the Project with a total weight of 1.6 tonnes and is ready to ship the samples to China.
Prophecy expects to receive the results from the second phase of metallurgical testing by NWME by
the end of 2018.
Management Discussion and Summary
Michael D rozd, V-P, Operations, states: “NWME’s comprehensive Gibellini mineral analysis
demonstrates a high concentration of independent vanadium oxide minerals comprising 45% of the
contained vanadium with very low carbon content (0.5%). This phenomenon is rare and possibly one-
of-a-kind when it comes to black shale vanadium deposits, and enables Gibellini to adopt a heap leach
process at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure with high recovery and low acid
consumption. Those important metallurgical attributes are key in establishing a high confidence level
in Gibellini’s projected low capital cost, low operating cost, and simple flow sheet with minimal technical
and implementation risks.”
With NWME’s new findings and confirmation of prior metallurgical tests done by McClelland
Laboratories and basic engineering studies carried out by Scotia International, Prophecy has finalized
the process flow sheet and is preparing to tender Engineering, Procurement, Construction and
Management (EPCM) proposals shortly, in August 2018.
Qualified Person
The technical contents of this news release have been prepared under the supervision of Danniel
Oosterman, VP, Exploration. Mr. Oosterman is not independent of the Company in that he is
employed as a consultant to the Company and most of his income is derived from the Company. Mr.
Oosterman is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.
About Prophecy
Prophecy Development Corp. is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Prophecy's main objective is to develop the Gibellini primary vanadium mining project in the Battle
Mountain region in northeastern Nevada to production. Further information on Prophecy can be found
at www.prophecydev.com.
PROPHECY DEVELOPMENT CORP.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
“JOHN LEE”
Executive Chairman
For more information about Prophecy, please contact Investor Relations:
+1.888.513.6286
www.prophecydev.com
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