Update on Lithium Processing Technology Initiative & Iceland Gold Exploration
Update on Lithium Processing Technology Initiative & Iceland Gold Exploration
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
Montréal, April 24, 2020 – St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (CSE: SX) (OTC: SXOOF) (FSE:
85G1) is pleased to announce that it has secured vendors and accepted proposals from third-party
laboratories to further its lithium metallurgical processing technology’s advanced bench
testing and its pilot plant.
Up to recently, the Company had strategically d ivided the research workload between various
laboratories to pr otect the intellectual property being developed. These segmented R&D silos
will now come together and be integrated within the pilot plant operations.
As previously announced on Februar y 10, 2020, in the “Winter Update” press release, the
Company expected to secure an agreement within the second quarter of 2020. The use of ready -
made facilities will generate significant cost reductions and represent a faster alternative than the
building of a pilot plant from scratch. St -Georges’ management evaluate d differ ent proposals
from various potential providers that were intended to meet the Company’s requirements.
The main contractor retained tipped the balance in its favor with a wealth of exp erience and
state-of-the-art, ready -made facilit ies that only r equired c ertain adjustments specific to the St -
Georges process. The team expects an adjustment period, and plant trial runs during Q2 and Q3
2020, subject to Quebec COVID -19 confinement release s. Full pilot scale testing should be
initiated in or around the beginning of this year Q4.
The Company is expecting to receive materials from Iconic Minerals Ltd. (TSX-V: ICM) in
accordance with the next phase of the on -going research and development program in place with
the Company. Discussions are being held with v arious mines operators and mineral developers.
Producers of spodumene concentrate have shown interest in supplying material for testing.
Quebec Lithium Resources
St-Georges also sourced materi al from a Quebec -based lithium project. The Company’s
contractors will be preparing 10 to 15 tonnes of material that should yield results of
approximately three metric tonnes of industry -grade spodumene concentrate suitable for pilot
testing with the St -Georges’ process. The material should be available to the metallu rgical team
in the weeks following the Quebec government’s lifting of the COVID -19 lock-down. Sourcing
local Quebec material qualifies the Company to apply for certain governmental grants, and the
Company expects to apply for these grants in 2020.
Enrico D i Cesare , President of St -Georges Metallurgy Corp., commented: “ Our partners’
facilities seem built for St -Georges. Under the circumstances, it would be non -sensical to spend
time and money to replicate the facilities that they own. These groups have signi ficant
experience with concentrating, acids and solutions we will be using. In addition, it de -risks St-
Georges by allowing us to focus on development work that is on -going. St -Georges looks
forward to working with all our partners at CTMP (Centre de Techn ologie M inérale et de
Plasturgie inc.), which has performed the early development work and will continue to work with
the St-Georges team. We feel we will be able to accelerate the development and eventual market
acceptance of the products we intend to pro duce. We believe this combination of laboratory
work at bench scale and eventual large -scale pilot plant operations will accelerate our
development work. We feel blessed to have two quality par tners to move forward with, and we
continue our collaborations with universities that specialize in this field of work.”
St-Georges Metallurgy Corp.
On February 27, 2020, St -Georges incorporated a new subsidiary, St -Georges Metallurgy Corp.,
and appointed Enrico Di Cesare as its President and CEO. This entity is owned 100% by St-
Georges and will handle all metallurgical R&D, laboratory partnerships, metallurgical joint
ventures, and related intellectual property.
In April, the Company has secured the services of a veteran metallurgist, Mr. Ian J. Cox, to
work on the projects with a focus on both lithium and nickel
Ian has a degree in fuel and combustion science, from Leeds University, UK. With post -grad
courses in project management from the University of T ennessee, leadership from Harvard, and
finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , he is an experienced project
manager/process engineer with extensive experience in new process development and transition
from development to design and operation. Ian has built a profitable busi ness in highly
competitive international markets. He builds str ong multi-function teams with international joint
venture/partnering experience.
Iceland Exploration Update
The previously announced work programs in Iceland (See September 3 2019 Press Release) ,
were not finished due to extreme weather conditions. With the arrival of spring and the Icelandic
government allowing people to circulate for work as the COVID -19 confinement directives are
being eased, the Company expects to be able to finish its Thor sa mpling program and send those
samples to Canada for processing in May, with Vopna and Troll to follow in June -July. No
resolution has yet materialized in regard to drilling the Thor property. Management expects to be
able to drill this summer, but no certainty can be given in that regard.
Covid-19 Impacts Assessment
The Covid-19 pandemic impacts all of the Company’s Quebec operations. Quebec North -Shore
exploration operations are halted until f urther notice from the government. The Company is
using this pe riod to prepare its intervent ion plan to meet with the First Nations on whose
ancestral territory the projects lie. The current process requires 60 to 90 days to receive the
relevant permits. It is currently impossible to know when this process will be initiated.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“Vilhjalmur Thor Vilhjalmsson”
Vilhjalmur Thor Vilhjalmsson
President and CEO
About St-Georges
St-Georges is developing new technologies to solve some of the most common environmental
problems in the mining industry.
The Company controls d irectly or indirectly, through rights of first refusal, all of the active
mineral tenures in Iceland. It also ex plores for nickel on the Julie Nickel Project & for industrial
minerals on Quebec’s North Shore and for lithium and rare metals in Northern Quebec and in the
Abitibi region. Headquartered in Montreal, St -Georges’ stock is listed on the CSE under the
symbol SX, on the US OTC under the Symbol SXOOF and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
under the symbol 85G1
The Canadian Se curities Exchange (CSE) has n ot reviewed and does not accept responsibility
for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.