IX

U3O8 Corp. (TSX:UWE)(OTCQX:UWEFF), a Canadian-based company focused on
exploration and resource expansion of uranium and associated commodities in
South America, outlines the final component of the three main sections of the
flow sheet that defines the entire process by which uranium, phosphate,
vanadium, rare earths and other metals are to be extracted from the Berlin
Project in Colombia. This flow sheet is an integral part of the preliminary
economic assessment ("PEA") being undertaken by Bateman Engineering N.V., which
is on track for delivery by the end of 2012. 


"The flow sheet marks another key achievement by demonstrating how we plan to
extract the various commodities from the Berlin ore into saleable products,"
said Dr. Richard Spencer, U3O8 Corp's President and CEO. "U3O8 Corp. has made
huge strides in advancing the Berlin Project from exploration trenching and
resource estimation to development of the entire flow sheet and finalizing the
upcoming PEA in just two and a half years. Berlin is fast becoming a company
maker that we are showing could be a large deposit and low-cost uranium producer
thanks to the value of a suite of recoverable by-products."


Flow Sheet for the Berlin Project

The process route shown in the flow sheet has been designed to efficiently
extract multiple commodities from Berlin, to be versatile in terms of reagent
consumption, to be compatible with standard recovery methods and to create an
environmentally benign tailing. U3O8 Corp. has now defined the three main
components of this process as follows (Figure 1): 




1.  Beneficiation of the crushed ore using acetic acid (vinegar) to remove
    calcite and concentrate the valuable commodities into as small a mass as
    possible, which makes the subsequent extraction and recovery processes
    more efficient and reduces capital and operating costs;

2.  Extraction of the various commodities into a pregnant solution by an
    acidic ferric iron leach method; and

3.  Recovery of the individual elements from the pregnant solution by
    conventional techniques - details reported in this press release. 



Beneficiation:

As reported in U3O8 Corp's October 17, 2012 press release, beneficiation using a
weak solution of acetic acid to dissolve calcite from the mineralized material
at Berlin concentrated the payable elements into 40-47% of the original ore mass
as well as producing a potentially saleable gypsum by-product. The significant
reduction in volume of material that undergoes further treatment may reduce
processing and capital costs, simplify the extraction process, add a potentially
valuable by-product and decrease the volume of tailings by 50-60%. The PEA is
considering both acetic acid and non-acetic acid routes to determine which of
these options is most beneficial for the Berlin Project. Arafura Resources Ltd.
has stated that it plans to use a similar process of adding sulphuric acid to
regenerate hydrochloric acid, which could produce a gypsum by-product at its
Nolans Bore deposit in Australia.


Extraction:

The residue of the ore that remains after beneficiation by acetic acid is
subjected to a two-step ferric iron process as detailed in U3O8 Corp's January
12, 2012 press release. The ferric leach achieved excellent extraction of
multiple elements contained in the mineralized rock from the Berlin Project.
These results are considered to be representative of the entire resource area
since the test work was conducted on 35% of the bore hole intersections that
were included in the resource estimate. U3O8 Corp's ferric process was adapted
from proven technology used for uranium and yttrium production at Elliott Lake
in Ontario and is now used at Rossing Mine in Namibia and the Talvivaara Mine in
Finland. 


Step one of the extraction process involves the mineralized residue being mixed
with ferric iron and sulphuric acid, followed by step two - a wash with weak
sulphuric acid. These two steps will be combined in a conventional train of
reactors to ensure efficient extraction of the soluble metals and phosphate into
the pregnant liquor.


Recovery: 

The beneficiation and extractive leach sections of the process have been
designed to create a pregnant liquor solution ("PLS") that contains the metals
of economic interest and phosphate at a concentration appropriate for
conventional recovery techniques and to minimize the presence of elements such
as calcium and iron that can complicate the recovery process. After
beneficiation of the Berlin ore with acetic acid, the acidic ferric leach would
generate a PLS with an approximate concentration of elements as follows: uranium
- 600 milligrams per litre ("mg/L"); phosphorous - 27,000 mg/L; vanadium - 1,400
mg/L; rare earths including yttrium - 200 mg/L and neodymium - 45 mg/L;
molybdenum 180 mg/L; nickel 850 mg/L; zinc 1,800 mg/L and manganese 75 mg/L.


Calcium levels are managed in two ways: through the extraction of most of the
calcium from the ore in the beneficiation step; and secondly, by maintaining the
residual calcium in the PLS in a relatively insoluble form. Had hydrochloric
acid been used instead, chlorine would have been introduced into the system
which, together with calcium, would have interfered with extraction of the
metals of value. 


The first step in the recovery process involves the alteration of ferric iron in
the liquor to the ferrous form in a process called reduction. Iron in the
ferrous state can be carried in the PLS through the remainder of the process
without interfering significantly with standard ion exchange ("IX") and solvent
extraction ("SX") or direct precipitation routines used for select recovery of
the valuable elements. Iron reduction can be readily achieved with the addition
of a variety of reducing reagents. 


Molybdenum is the first element to be selectively extracted from the PLS in the
first IX process and is stripped using ammonium hydroxide (to prevent gypsum
co-precipitation with the molybdenum) and is precipitated as calcium molybdate,
a saleable product. The removal of molybdenum before uranium and vanadium
extraction is to prevent interference in the subsequent IX and SX processes
designed to extract other elements. 


Uranium and vanadium are then extracted from the PLS in a second IX process into
a combined stream using weak sulphuric acid. The uranium is separated from
vanadium by adding hydrogen peroxide which causes precipitation of uranium
peroxide. The uranium peroxide (UO4.nH2O) is thickened, centrifuged and dried
for transport off-site. The uranium peroxide is subsequently heated to form
yellowcake (U3O8), the form in which uranium is marketed. The vanadium is then
precipitated with ammonia to produce ammonium penta-vanadate, which is
thickened, centrifuged and dried for transport off-site. This process of
extracting the uranium and vanadium together, and then separating them, is used
in the following facilities: Climax Uranium Co. (USA), Talvivaara Mining Co.
(Finland) and Smith Ranch project (USA). 


Following the extraction of molybdenum, uranium and vanadium, the PLS undergoes
the first SX process to produce an estimated 25% strength phosphoric acid by
extracting phosphorous with tri-butyl phosphate ("TBP") in a ShellSol diluent
followed by stripping with water. The resulting phosphoric acid is concentrated
to a minimum 83% strength by a steam evaporator to produce a saleable phosphoric
acid product. 


The rare earths (principally yttrium, neodymium and cerium) are precipitated by
elevating the pH level of the PLS with ammonia to produce a precipitate which is
centrifuged and dried and then the mixed rare earth oxides are packed for
transport and separation off-site. 


The PLS now contains only base metals and manganese for recovery and undergoes
the second SX process for the extraction and stripping of a mixture of nickel,
zinc and manganese with D2EHPA (Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid) and sulphuric
acid. The individual metals could then be separated from the mixture on-site, or
the mixture could be sent off-site for further processing. 


At the end of the recovery process, the ferrous iron contained in solution could
be oxidized to the ferric iron form and recycled back into the ferric leach
circuit to lower reagent consumption and reduce operating costs. 


Qualified Persons and Accreditation 

The metallurgical test work relied upon for the development of the flow sheet
was done at SGS Lakefield OreTest Pty Ltd in Perth, Australia. SGS Lakefield
OreTest was established as a metallurgical services company in 1993 as Lakefield
OreTest Pty Limited and is now a subsidiary of the SGS Lakefield group, which
has been offering mineral processing services to the mining industry since 1948.


Dr. Paul Miller, a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 of
the Canadian Securities Administrators ("QP"), has overseen the metallurgical
test work carried out by SGS Lakefield OreTest, and verified the technical
information relating to the results reported above. Dr. Miller is a metallurgist
specializing in hydrometallurgy with over 30 years' experience in the commercial
application of processes for the treatment of sulphide-bearing ore. Dr. Miller
has a doctorate in Chemical Engineering, is a member of the Institute of Mining
and Metallurgy, London, and is a Chartered Engineer. He is Managing Director of
Sulphide Resource Processing Pty Ltd.


Bateman Engineering N.V. is part of the Tenova Mining & Minerals Group, a
leading, international engineering firm ("Bateman"). Bateman has been providing
process design, development and construction services to the resource sector for
over 90 years with extensive and specific process and engineering experience in
the extraction of uranium, phosphate, rare earths, nickel and zinc as well as in
sulphuric acid production. U3O8 Corp. selected Bateman to conduct a PEA on the
Berlin deposit because of its extensive expertise in these critical elements
relevant to Berlin. In coordination with Dr. Miller and U3O8 Corp., Bateman has
been instrumental in developing the flow sheet, which has been overseen by Mr.
Pieter Niemann, a Bateman employee and a QP. Mr. Niemann, a Professional
Metallurgical Engineer and MBA graduate, has relied on geological information
relating to the Berlin deposit from U3O8 Corp. and on metallurgical test work
carried out by SGS Lakefield OreTest. Mr. Niemann has verified the content
related to the flow sheet presented in this press release.


Dr. Richard Spencer, P. Geo., President & CEO of U3O8 Corp. and a QP, has
supervised the preparation of, and verified the technical information contained
in this press release relating to the Berlin Project.


About U3O8 Corp.

U3O8 Corp. is an advanced exploration company focused on exploration and
resource expansion of uranium and associated commodities in South America - a
promising new frontier for uranium exploration and development. In just one
year, U3O8 Corp's uranium resources have grown 7-fold with deposits now in
Colombia, Argentina and Guyana comprising of:


- Berlin Project, Colombia - its flagship property contains a uranium deposit
with a high-value suite of by-products including phosphate, vanadium, rare
earths (yttrium and neodymium) and other metals; 


- Laguna Salada Project, Argentina - a near surface, free-digging uranium,
vanadium deposit that is potentially amenable to low-cost mining and processing
methods; and 


- Kurupung Project, Guyana - an initial uranium deposit in a large emerging
uranium district. 


Positive metallurgical results have been achieved on all three projects. U3O8
Corp's near-term focus is scout drilling in Colombia to drive resource growth
and completion of a preliminary economic assessment by the end of 2012 to
broadly estimate capital and operating costs on the initial multi-commodity
resource defined at Berlin. Additional information on U3O8 Corp. and its mineral
resources are available at www.u3o8corp.com.


Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking
statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties.
These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and
uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of U3O8 Corp., including,
but not limited to, the future results of metallurgical test work, whether
results of metallurgical test work on a smaller scale to date can be duplicated
on a larger scale, the impact of general economic conditions, industry
conditions, the timing of laboratory results and preparation of technical
reports and PEAs, the actual results of independent scoping studies and
subsequent metallurgical testing, volatility of commodity prices, risks
associated with the uncertainty of exploration results and estimates and that
the resource potential will be achieved on the Berlin Project and other
exploration projects, currency fluctuations, legislative change, dependence upon
regulatory approvals, and the uncertainty of obtaining additional financing and
exploration risk. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the
preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of
preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not
be placed on forward-looking statements.


To view Figure 1, please visit the following link:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/uweff1101fig1.pdf.


To view the videos associated with this press release, please visit the
following links: 


www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw-kAT7kj3o

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMjQ5oWUeMQ

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: 
U3O8 Corp.
Richard Spencer
President & CEO
(416) 868-1491
richard@u3o8corp.com


U3O8 Corp.
Nancy Chan-Palmateer
Vice President, Investor Relations
(416) 868-1491
nancy@u3o8corp.com
www.u3o8corp.com

(TSXV:IX)
過去 株価チャート
から 6 2024 まで 7 2024

(TSXV:IX)
過去 株価チャート
から 7 2023 まで 7 2024