VANCOUVER, BC–(Marketwired – Mar 16, 2016) – Pure Energy Minerals Limited (TSX VENTURE: PE) (FRANKFURT: A111EG) (OTCQB: HMGLF) (the “Company” or “Pure Energy”) is pleased to announce that it has retained Arithmetek Inc. and Andeburg Consulting Services Inc. as outside engineering consultants to assist in process engineering work and other services as part of delivering a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Clayton Valley South (CVS) Lithium Brine Project.
Arithmetek and Andeburg bring considerable technical experience and knowledge with regards to process modeling, developing flowsheets, process optimization, and development of CAPEX and OPEX estimates for lithium brine projects. These foundational members of our engineering team bring decades of engineering and metallurgy experience, including extensive recent work on lithium brine projects in North and South America. Of particular importance for the CVS project is the team’s practical experience in understanding and developing all aspects of brine pumping and pre-treatment systems, reverse osmosis and membrane filtration processes, solvent extraction systems and lithium salt evaporative crystallization circuits.
The engineering team will be working immediately on developing and optimizing the process options for the brine resources from the CVS Project, and will be integrating their findings with the mini-pilot process testing work that will commence in the coming weeks with Tenova Bateman at their pilot plant in Israel. The successful outcome of this work will be an integral component of the PEA targeted for release in the middle of 2016.
Patrick Highsmith, Pure Energy Minerals CEO, commented: “Joining forces with Arithmetek and Andeburg provides Pure Energy with unique access to a cadré of seasoned process engineering professionals who can have immediate impact and help us efficiently advance the CVS Project towards a PEA. I worked closely with Ernie during my tenure at Lithium One. He helped us focus and optimize the engineering studies; ultimately leading to savings on early-stage engineering and improved estimates of capital and operating costs.”
Andeburg Consulting Services Inc. is led by Ernest Burga, a mechanical engineer with more than 35 years experience on diverse mining projects around the world. Mr. Burga is particularly accomplished as a project manager and in design and cost engineering associated with hydrometallurgical facilities. He has been instrumental in several lithium projects, ranging from preliminary engineering through feasibility studies. As a professional engineer with relevant experience in design and process chemistry for lithium brine projects, Mr. Burga will act as a qualified person, as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101, with regard to certain technical disclosures and reporting on the CVS Project.
The principal behind Arithmetek Inc. is Dr. Mike Dry, a chemical engineer with 40 years experience in the mining and mineral processing industries, including tenures at Mintek and SGS. He is a specialist in hydrometallurgy with experience in solvent extraction. Dr. Dry’s specialty involves mass and energy balance modeling, which has been a principle component of his contribution on lithium brine projects in recent years. His career has included hands-on experience with research into novel and innovative mineral processing technologies as well as classical methodologies.
About Pure Energy Minerals Ltd.
Pure Energy is a lithium-brine resource developer that is driven to become the lowest-cost lithium supplier for the burgeoning North American lithium battery industry. Pure Energy is currently focused on the development of our prospective CVS Lithium Brine Project, which has the following key attributes:
A large land position with excellent existing infrastructure in a first-class mining jurisdiction: Approximately 9,324 acres in three main claim groups in the southern half of Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada.
Adjacent to the only producing lithium operation in the United States (Albemarle’s Silver Peak lithium brine mine).
An inferred mineral resource of 816,000 metric tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE), reported in accordance with NI 43-101.
Metallurgical and process studies underway to better understand the feasibility and economics of using modern environmentally-responsible processing technology to convert the CVS brines into high purity lithium products for new energy storage uses.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
“Patrick Highsmith”
Chief Executive Officer
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release
