Panther Metals plc is looking to recover magnesium from serpentine, using non-cyanide technology, at its Dotted Lake base and precious metal deposit in Ontario, Canada.
EXTRAKT
The project hosts an orogenic gold and magmatic intrusive hosted nickel-cobalt-platinum group element and magnesium deposit.
Exploration drilling in 2024 had “confirmed the ultramafic magmatic intrusive to be a magnesium-bearing serpentinised peridotite (serpentinite)”.
Panther added it was particularly interested in using “alternative extraction technologies capable of improving upon conventional leaching recoveries”.
The company has submitted 134kg of crushed serpentinite drill core for magnesium test work by Test Design Implement Solutions LLC, using Extrakt Process Solutions LLC non-cyanide technologies.
Work will initially focus on a “high-level” assessment of magnesium recovery.
Chief executive officer Darren Hazelwood added that the 2024 drilling programme had returned grades up to 21.7% magnesium across widths of over 200 metres.
“Magnesium is an increasingly critical material in the global transition to lightweight alloys and clean energy technologies, and with intersections of this scale and grade, we believe Dotted Lake may have the potential to be a meaningful source of it.
“We have been deliberate about identifying a process route capable of genuinely improving on conventional recoveries, and the initial phase of testwork will provide the baseline data we need to assess this.
“This is early-stage work, but it is the right work.”