South Star Battery Metals Announces Successful Results from Ongoing Cycle and Value-Add Testing Program; Strengthening of Senior Management Team and Board Changes
South Star Battery Metals Announces Successful Results from Ongoing
Cycle and Value-Add Testing Program; Strengthening of Senior
Management Team and Board Changes
VANCOUVER, BC
,
Sept. 22, 2021
/CNW/ - South Star Battery Metals Corp. ("
South Star
" or the "
Company
") (TSXV: STS) (OTCQB: STSBF), along with its
technological partner in
the United States
("US Lab"
1
), are pleased to announce the latest life cycle testing results for the first 75 cycles (charging & discharging)
in CR2016 LiB coin cells constructed with anode material (coated spherical purified graphite) produced from the Santa Cruz Graphite Project. Several battery
cells were constructed as part of the ongoing optimization and testing program, and all the cells continue to have an extremely flat discharge pattern without
noticeable degradation over the current testing period.
One cycle consists of 10 hours of charge and 10 hours of discharge, therefore 75 cycles equals approximately 1,500 hours total. South Star's testing program
continues and will include a minimum of 100 cycles for each of the LiB cells. Upcoming work also includes downstream processing flowsheet optimizations and
validation. (Refer to
August 30
th
, 2021 press release for results from initial 35 cycles.)
In addition, South Star has successfully completed 4-Point resistivity testing (4T) for use in Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) for evaluating conductivity
enhancement material used in cathodes of primary alkaline batteries. The
Santa Cruz
material tested was made of the purified graphite rejects from the
spheronization process and confirmed that purified flake graphite from the
Santa Cruz
project is significantly more conductive than industry-leading material
currently in use. With the alkaline battery market producing over 12 billion batteries annually and a global market value in excess of
US$7.5B
in 2020, this
application could potentially develop into a key market for South Star.
"We continue to announce robust battery testing results while advancing towards production in 2022," commented
Richard Pearce
, President and CEO of South
Star. "The cycle testing with anodes produced using
Santa Cruz
graphite in CR2016 LiB batteries continues to be very stable with little degradation throughout 75
cycles and maintaining reversible capacity on the order of 345 – 346 mAh/g through cycle 75. This equates to a degradation through 75 cycles of approximately 2
percent, which is an excellent outcome for our program.
The high-quality conductivity enhancement material for alkaline batteries markets is also very exciting. In essence, our purified graphite is extremely conductive
allowing alkaline battery manufacturers to potentially reduce the required amount of graphite used as conductivity enhancement material in the cathode and
instead increase the energy density to make a longer-lasting alkaline cell. The market is large and growing, and our material has proven to be very high-quality. It
also requires approximately 8 to 9 months to qualify this material, which is significantly faster than in the EV markets while offering robust margins similar to the
EV space. We continue to evaluate several potential markets to sell 100% of our production and develop a diversified portfolio of high value-add materials with
good margins."
Santa Cruz Product Information Bulletins (PIBs) with technical information for the portfolio of products, safety data sheets (SDSs) and marketing materials have
been prepared and are being distributed to our existing partners and potential clients. Samples of value-add products including micronized & purified graphite,
expanded & expandable graphite, as well are as coated and uncoated SPG will also be produced and available for testing.
Key Management and Board Changes
South Star is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms.
Samantha Shorter
to the role of CFO in place of Mr.
Bennett Liu
, who has resigned to pursue other
opportunities. Ms. Shorter is a senior finance and accounting professional with 15 years of experience in the mineral exploration sector and has served as CFO of
various junior mining companies. She has extensive international experience with development projects as well as operating assets. Ms. Shorter was also
previously employed as an audit manager at a major Canadian accounting firm specializing in the mining industry and has extensive experience providing financial
reporting and corporate services to companies in the mining and mineral exploration industries. Ms. Shorter is a CPA, CA and CIA and holds a Bachelor of
Commerce degree with Honours from the
University of British Columbia
.
South Star is also pleased to announce the appointment of Ms.
Priscila Costa Lima
to the Board of Directors in place of Mr.
Felipe Alves
, who has elected to step
down to pursue other interests. Ms. Costa Lima is senior finance and accounting professional with 20 years of experience in corporate finance, reporting & audit,
and equity & debt financing in the mining and entertainment sectors. Currently she serves as the CFO of BRON Media Corp., and prior to that, she was the
Finance Director for Force Four Entertainment (an eOne Entertainment company). Before making the move to the entertainment industry, she worked in the
mining / resource sector where she served as the CFO of Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. from 2010 to 2014. Ms. Costa Lima is a Brazilian citizen based in
Vancouver,
BC
. She is a CPA, CMA and holds a BBA in Finance with a joint Major in Economics from
Simon Fraser University
.
Richard Pearce
commented, "On behalf of the Board of Directors and Management, we are pleased to welcome Sam and Priscila to the team and look forward
to working with them as we advance to construction, Phase 1 production and subsequent scaling of the operations to a world-class graphite asset. We are
excited to add their experience and expertise to our growing team, and they will be key collaborators as we move forward with our plans. We would like to also
to thank Felipe and Bennett for their contributions and tireless work ethics over the years. We wish them much success in their new endeavours."
Lithium-Ion Battery Life Cycle Test Results
Purified graphite was successfully micronized using advanced pilot scale mechanical milling system outfitted with two air classification circuits. Once the target
sizing geometries were achieved, uncoated SPG was produced by rolling and rounding the micronized graphite into elliptical spheres in a specialized mill. The
elliptical shapes are a preferred morphology for higher packing density active loadings in battery electrodes. They are also preferred due to better rate capacities,
safer and generally longer-life LiBs. Uncoated SPG was coated with a nanolayer of soft carbon and heat treated under a blanket of inert gas. The hardened
coating provides a layer of protection from exfoliation and general degradation during the normal expansion and contraction cycles associated with charging and
discharging. The coating also reduces ongoing reactions of electrolytes with the graphitic carbon, which results in a reduced battery life (
See June
29
th
, 2021
press release for more details).
Next, a copper foil was coated with the anode slurry using the drawdown technique, and the electrode was dried under vacuum and weighed. Finally, the anode
was welded to the bottom can of a stainless-steel standard CR2016 coin cell. Three identical coin cells were produced, and testing includes the following:
reversible capacity, irreversible capacity, irreversible capacity loss and long-term cycling stability as a function of the elapsed number of charge/discharge cycles.
Figure 1: Santa Cruz LiB Battery Results Through Approximately 75 Cycles (CNW Group/South Star Mining Corp.)
As shown in Figure 1, other notable positive properties of
Santa Cruz
anode material are that their reversible capacities are at approximately 345 mAh/g thru 75
cycles, which is a degradation of 2 percent. Assuming the current degradation rate continues,
Santa Cruz
graphite could potentially exceed 500 cycles prior to
performance cut-off and potentially provide an interesting alternative to synthetic graphite, which has significantly higher costs, higher environmental footprint and
is a product derived from petroleum.
Figure 2 presents the results for Cell 3 through cycles 25, 50 and 75 and confirm that the cells maintain excellent electrochemical performance throughout the
current testing attesting to the robust nature of the
Santa Cruz
natural crystalline flake characteristics as anode material for lithium-ion batteries.
Figure 2: Cell 3 Cycles 25, 50 & 75 Testing Results (CNW Group/South Star Mining Corp.)
Conductivity Enhancement Material for Alkaline Battery Cathodes
Test Results
South Star successfully completed 4-Point resistivity testing for Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) for evaluating conductivity enhancement material used in
cathodes for primary alkaline batteries. The
Santa Cruz
material tested was made of the purified graphite rejects from the spheronization process with a D50
equal to 7 microns. Compression molded cathode rings made from EMD using
Santa Cruz
graphite were produced using varying loadings into the EMD. The
resistivity was tested using an industry standard 4-point (4T) test where resistivity is determined by
Kelvin Bridge
and is measured in Ω inch or mΩ·cm. Various
pressures were tested to determine the resulting resistivity. The results are presented in Figure 3 and confirm that conductivity enhancement material made from
Santa Cruz
purified graphite outperformed industry standard expanded graphite and synthetic graphite products. Potentially, purified rejects from the
spheronization process could provide lower cost and higher quality alternatives to current industry standard products.
Figure 3: 4T Testing Result (CNW Group/South Star Mining Corp.)
About South Star Battery Metals Corp.
South Star Battery Metals Corp. is Canadian battery metals project developer focused on the selective acquisition and development of near-term production
projects in the Americas. South Star's Santa Cruz Graphite Project, located in Southern Bahia,
Brazil
is the first of a series of industrial and battery metals
projects that will be put into production.
Brazil
is the second-largest graphite-producing region in the world with more than 80 years of continuous mining.
Santa
Cruz
has at-surface mineralization in friable materials, and successful large-scale pilot-plant testing (>30t) has been completed. The results of the testing show
that approximately 65% of Cg concentrate is +80 mesh with good recoveries and 95-99% Cg. With excellent infrastructure and logistics, South Star is carrying its
development plan towards Phase 1 production projected in Q4 2022, pending financing. South Star trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol STS,
and on the OTCQB under the symbol STSBF.
South Star is committed to a corporate culture, project execution plan and safe operations that embrace the highest standards of ESG principles based on
transparency, stakeholder engagement, ongoing education and stewardship. To learn more, please visit the Company website at
http://www.southstarbatterymetals.com
.
This news release has been reviewed and approved by Richard Pearce, P.E., a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 and President and CEO
of South Star Battery Metals.
On behalf of the Board,
Mr.
Richard Pearce
Chief Executive Officer
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/southstarbm
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/southstarbatterymetals
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/southstarbatterymetals/
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:
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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility
for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
This news release and the Updated Technical Report contain references to inferred resources. The Report is preliminary in nature and includes inferred
mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be
categorized as mineral reserves.
Forward-Looking Information
The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements
relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements
that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact
and may be "forward-looking statements".
Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the
forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks
related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock
exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of
feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral
deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility
and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks
related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the
Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results
may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to
reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.
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For further information:
CHF Capital Markets (IR Canada): Iryna Zheliasko, Manager, Phone: +1 416-868-1079 x229, Email: [email protected]; RBMG - RB
Milestone Group LLC (IR US): Trevor Brucato, Managing Director, Email: [email protected]; Mr. Dave McMillan, Chairman, Email: [email protected]
CO: South Star Mining Corp.
CNW 07:27e 22-SEP-21