FPX Nickel Announces Scoping Study for Production of Nickel Sulphate from Baptiste Project in British Columbia
Suite 320 – 1155 West Pender
Street
Vancouver, BC Canada V6E 2P4
Tel: 604.681.8600
e-mail: [email protected]
FPX Nickel Announces Scoping Study for Production of Nickel
Sulphate from Baptiste Project in British Columbia
Vancouver, February 1, 2022 – FPX Nickel Corp. (TSX-V: FPX, OTCQB: FPOCF ) (“FPX” or the
“Company”) is pleased to announce that it has commenced an internal scoping study to further evaluate
the option to produce nickel sulphate for the electric vehicle (“ EV”) battery supply chain from the high-
grade nickel concentrate produced by the Company’s Baptiste Nickel Project (“Baptiste” or “the Project”)
in central British Columbia. This study incorporates the positive results of previous leaching testwork on
the clean, high-grade Baptiste nickel concentrate (63% nickel), which confirmed the Project’s potential to
be a significant supplier of high-purity feedstock for the EV battery market.
“We expect this scoping stud y to demonstrate that Baptiste could become a globally significant producer
of low-cost, low-carbon nickel for electric vehicles for decades to come ,” commented Martin Turenne,
FPX’s President and CEO. “Baptiste’s awaruite nickel mineralization has clear technical advantages over
sulphide and laterite ores for producing nickel sulphate, owing to the extremely high nickel content and low
levels of impurities in the nickel concentrate produced in previous metallurgical test programs.”
“Our scoping work will evaluate the potential for the production of low-carbon, battery -grade nickel
sulphate from awaruite mineralization in a simple three-stage process encompassing beneficiation, pressure
leaching, and solvent extraction ,” continued Mr. Turenne. “ This three -stage processing route has the
potential to be more efficient and entail lower cost and carbon emissions than the typically more complex
processes required to convert sulphide and laterite ores into nickel sulphate, as shown in Figure 1 below.”
Figure 1 – Simplified Processing Alternatives for Production of Nickel Sulphate (NiSO4)
Previous Testwork
Nickel mineralization at Baptiste is primarily present in awaruite (Ni3Fe), a nickel-iron alloy composed of
75% nickel and 25% iron . Nickel occurrence as awaruite ranges from 83 to 92% at Baptiste, with the
balance occurring as nickel sulfide minerals, primarily pentlandite. Awaruite’s high nickel tenor (75%)
uniquely allows the production of an extremely high-grade flotation concentrate . Awaruite’s distinct
characteristics of ferromagnetism, density, and active surface properties allow the use of a conventional
process flowsheet using grinding, magnetic separation, and flotation. This simple flowsheet has been
demonstrated to consistently produce high-grade flotation concentrates.
In comparison to typical nickel sulphide concentrates, t he Baptiste nickel flotation concentrate is notable
for its extremely high metal content and low level of sulphur and impurities, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1 – Select Elemental and Mineral Content for Baptiste Nickel Concentrate and Typical
Nickel Sulphide Concentrate
Elements and Minerals Baptiste Awaruite
Nickel Concentrate
Nickel Sulphide
Concentrate
Nickel (Ni) 60-65% 8-21%
Iron (Fe) 30-32% 25-41%
Sulphur (S) 0.6% 14-31%
Cobalt (Co) 1% 0-1.2%
Copper (Cu) 0.7% 0-2.2%
Magnesium Oxide (MgO) 1% 4-10%
Baptiste’s awaruite nickel mineralization has significant technical advantages over sulphide and laterite
ores for producing nickel sulphate, as follows:
• The efficient dissolution of Baptiste’s high -grade concentrate can eliminate the need for
intermediate smelting prior to downstream hydrometallurgical processing into nickel sulphate, as
required when treating conventional nickel sulphide concentrates.
• Leaching of Baptiste’s high -grade concentrate feedsto ck requires a tangibly smaller pressure
leaching footprint using significantly lower pressure and temperature than the high-pressure acid-
leach (“HPAL”) process used in nickel laterite operations.
As described in the Company’s January 7, 2020 news release, batch pressure leach tests of Baptiste’s nickel
concentrate were undertaken at Sherritt Technologies’s lab in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. These tests were
conducted with pressure and temperature conditions selected to approximate the proposed commercial
conditions.
Based on these test results, it is expected that the pregnant leach solution produced from leaching Baptiste’s
flotation concentrate will be an ideal feedstock for the production of nickel sulphate. The low levels of
impurities (notably iron) in the pregnant leach solution suggest that downstream refinement into sulphate
products would require a relatively simple process with favourable operating parameters. Confirmation of
these downstream processing steps is subject to future testing, including testwork currently being conducted
by FPX, the results of which are anticipated in the third quarter of 2022 (see the Company’s D ecember 8,
2021 news release for a description of the ongoing metallurgical test program).
For reasons noted above, leach equipment sizing and operating parameters for Baptiste’s nickel concentrate
is potentially favourable to those in typical HPAL operations treating laterite ore, such as the Ramu Nickel
Cobalt Operation in Papua New Guinea ( “Ramu”). Table 2 below provides a comparison of pressure
leaching parameters for the treatment of Baptiste concentrate (based on the testwork described in the
Company’s January 7, 2020 news releas e) and laterite ore at Ramu (which has been in operation since
2012).
Table 2 – Pressure Leaching Autoclave Parameters for Baptiste Concentrate and Ramu Nickel
Cobalt Operation
Autoclave Parameter
Baptiste Concentrate
(Conceptual Based on
Testwork)
Ramu Nickel Cobalt
Operation
(Note 1)
Feedstock type Flotation concentrate Whole ore
Feedstock grade 60-65% Ni 1.09% Ni
Pressure 750 kPa 4,300 kPa
Temperature 150°C 250°C
Target extraction rate (recovery) >98% >95%
Target residence time 60 minutes 60 minutes
Note 1 – Source: Design parameters for Ramu Nickel Cobalt Project in Cobalt 27 Capital Corp., NI 43-
101 Technical Report (July 19, 2019)
Furthermore, it is expected that a pressure leaching circuit treating Baptiste’s flotation concentrate would
have much lower feed variability than a typical HPAL plant accepting run-of-mine ore, with the associated
more variable nickel grades and mineralization sourced from typical laterite deposits, which can range from
0.7% to 1.7% nickel content (more than 100% feed grade variance to pressure leaching).
Scoping Study
FPX has initiated an internal scoping study to further evaluate a hydrometallurgical refinery to upgrade the
high-grade Baptiste nickel concentrate to a product that is readily usable within the EV battery material
supply chain. Upstream of EV battery manufacturers are chemical plants producing P-CAM (precursor
cathode active material) and CAM (cathode active material) for insertion into the battery cathode cells.
These chemical plants require nickel feedstock (typically in the form of nickel sulphate) to produce P-CAM
and CAM.
The FPX scoping study (which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022) will evaluate
options for producing nickel sulphate in either crystal form (Option 1) or solution form (Option 2), including
an assessment of the various technical, economic and strategic considerations of each alternative. Figure 2
below provides a conceptual product flow diagram for each Option’s integration into the EV battery supply
chain.
Figure 2 – Product Flow for Integration of FPX Nickel Concentrate in EV Battery Supply Chain
Option 1 entails the production of nickel sulphate crystals at a hydrometallurgical refinery to be located
either in British Columbia or at another off-site location further afield. The primary advantage of producing
nickel sulphate in crystal form (versus Option 2’s solution form) is the greater flexibility for transport ing
the product over significant distance (via truck, rail, or ocean freight) to the chemical plants producing P-
CAM and CAM.
Option 2 is based on the transport of Baptiste concentrate to a hydrometallurgical refinery jointly -located
with P-CAM and CAM facilities. In this scenario, the hydromet refinery would produce a nickel sulphate
solution, which would then be directly fed to an adjacent chemical plant producing P-CAM and CAM.
These two Options are expected to generate high -value alternatives for the utilization of Baptiste
concentrate in the EV battery supply chain, both in North America and abroad. Figure 3 shows the potential
for logistical integration of Baptiste concentrate into the North American EV supply chain, with multiple
transport modes and routes to integrate with the growing number of large-scale battery plants currently in
development or operation.
Figure 3 – Map of Baptiste Project Integration in EV Battery Supply Chain
Andrew Osterloh, P. Eng., FPX Nickel’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 km 2 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 (Ni3Fe), 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, and the
B, Sid and Van targets, as confirmed by drilling , petrographic examination, electron probe ana lyses and
outcrop sampling on all four. Since 2010, approximately US $28 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 focus of diamond drilling since 2010, with a total
of 82 holes and over 34,000 m of drilling completed. The Sid target was tested with two holes in 2010 and
the B target had a single hol e drilled 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 bedrock exposures in the area were very poor prior to more recent logging activity.
In 2021, the Company executed a maiden drilling program at Van , which has returned promising results
comparable with the strongest results at Baptiste.
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. For more information, please vi ew the Company’s website at
www.fpxnickel.com or contact Martin Turenne, President and CEO, at (604) 681 -8600 or
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.