Commerce Resources Corp. Updates Metallurgical Collaboration with CanmetMINING and Announces Partnership with Corem, for the Ashram Deposit, Quebec
Commerce Resources Corp. Updates Metallurgical Collaboration with
CanmetMINING and Announces Partnership with Corem, for the
Ashram Deposit, Quebec
May 13, 2020 – Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXv: CCE, FSE: D7H) (the “Company” or
“Commerce”) is pleased to provide an update with respect to its ongoing collaboration with
CanmetMINING, focused on beneficiation test work for the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar
Deposit. Despite disruptions caused by COVID-19 to the test programs , some significant
advancements have been made on the flotation circuit.
In recent flotation test work, CanmetMINING – a division of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
– has completed collector screening, an evaluation of mixed collectors, reverse conditioning tests,
cleaning stage tests, and a continuous process simulation with a locked cycle test. Further to the
initial findings presented in the news release dated March 9 th, 2020, CanmetMINING has
identified through its test work an alternative reagent scheme and flotation circuit to achieve, and
potentially exceed, the target objective of <25% mass pull at >80% recovery. This has also been
achieved using one-half to one-quarter of the quantity (kg/t) of reagents utilized in prior test
work completed by other metallurgical labs. Previous work has identified reagents as a key area
of optimization in the Ashram Deposit’s flotation circuit and where significant cost advantages
may be found by screening the performance of each pertinent reagent with respect to their
consumption and purchase cost.
Through CanmetMINING’s test work, improvement in flotation performance has been achieved
through a combination of distributed reagent additions, reagent synergism, and reverse
conditioning in a very simple and basic flotation circuit. Details of the recent flotation test work
will be detailed by CanmetMINING in a paper titled “Mineral Processing Flowsheet Approaches
for the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit ” at the 2020 Conference of Metallurgists
(COM2020) to be held August 24th to 27th in Toronto, ON.
In addition, the Company is pleased to announce that Corem will be partnering with
CanmetMINING for certain program components, beginning with multi-gravity testing. Corem is
the largest center of expertise and innovation in Canada dedicated to mineral pro cessing. The
center provides specialized services and research expertise to exploration and mining companies
around the world. In February 2020, approximately 0.4 tonnes of unprocessed Ashram Deposit
material was received by Corem; however, shortly thereaf ter work was paused due operating
restrictions related to COVID -19. The work is anticipated to move forward as these restrictions
are eased.
The primary objective of CanmetMINING’s work on the Ashram Deposit is to identify a key
approach to further enh ance beneficiation performance by exploring and testing a range of
potentially applicable process methods at varying test conditions. These methods are expected to
include flotation, gravity separation, magnetic separation, and ore sorting, in addition to several
other physical separation approaches.
The funding for the test work is provided by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) through
CanmetMINING’s 6-year rare earth element (“REE”) and chromite program, (announced in
January 2015), focused on developing new extraction technologies, addressing Canadian
regulations, and improving the knowledge of Canadian deposits (www.reechromite.ca). The
Company’s contribution to the collaboration is a supply of REE mineralized material f rom the
Ashram Deposit, in which several tonnes remain readily available from a bulk sample completed
in 2012.
The Ashram Deposit outcrops at surface, allowing for cost-effective collection of material for test
work. As such, the Company is actively engaging with various research and academic institutions
to support the advancement of the REE industry in Canada, and in Quebec specifically.
NI 43-101 Disclosure
Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P.Geo., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a Permit holder with the
Ordre des Géologues du Québec and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101,
supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.
About Commerce Resources Corp.
Commerce Resources Corp. is an exploration and development company with a particular focus
on deposits of rare metals and rare earth elements. The Company is focused on the development
of its Ashram Rare Earth Element Depos it in Quebec and the Upper Fir Tantalum -Niobium
Deposit in British Columbia.
For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.commerceresources.com or
email [email protected].
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
COMMERCE RESOURCES CORP.
“Chris Grove”
Chris Grove
President and Director
Tel: 604.484.2700
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.commerceresources.com
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is def ined in policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward -looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and
other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
Forward looking s tatements in this press release include that CanmetMINING’s work on the Ashram Deposit will
identify a key approach to further enhance beneficiation performance. These forward-looking statements are subject
to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially
from those projected in the forward -looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from
coming to fruition include that CanmetMINING’s work may not be success ful; changing costs for mining and
processing; increased capital costs; the timing and content of upcoming work programs; geological interpretations
based on drilling that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral rec overies
assumption based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that with further
test work may not be comparable; testing of our process may not prove successful and even it tests are successful, the
economic and other outcomes may not be as expected; the availability of labour, equipment and markets for the
products produced; and despite the current expected viability of the project, conditions changing such that the minerals
on our property cannot be economically mined, or that the required permits to build and operate the envisaged mine
can be obtained. The forward -looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company
assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as
required by law.