more Norra Karr news27 Mar 2018 10:16
Vancouver, Canada � Leading Edge Materials Corp. (�Leading Edge Materials�) or (�the �Company�) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) is pleased to provide an update on the first of a range of research projects aimed at capturing added value opportunities for the Norra K�rr rare earth element (�REE�) project in Sweden. A Pre-Feasibility Study completed on Norra K�rr in 2015 (�PFS�) identified a range of opportunities to improve project economics while reducing capital expenditure and minimizing the environmental footprint of the project.
Leading Edge Materials has partnered with a research team lead by Prof. Julien Leclaire at the Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Mol�culaires et Supramol�culaires (�ICBMS�) in Lyon, France to investigate the extraction and separation of hafnium and zirconium from a process material previously considered to be waste. Prof. Leclaire has worked extensively on highly selective extraction systems that apply carbon dioxide to form reversible extractive agents, with a focus on REEs in both primary and waste materials.
The initial six-month research alliance is partially funded by Leading Edge Materials, which provides the exclusive rights to apply the intellectual property (�IP�) developed within two years of project completion. If research is not ongoing within the two-year period, rights to use the IP shall return to ICBMS.
Prof. Leclaire was identified by Leading Edge Materials as a highly skilled partner in extractive chemistry following publication of REE research, having developed and patented innovative technologies with a low environmental impact. Some this technology was developed through research into carbon capture and valorization.
The Norra K�rr deposit, along with REE and zirconium, is enriched in hafnium with a reserve grade of 338 ppm hafnium oxide (HfO2) (see PFS under Tasman Metals Ltd.�s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or on the Company�s website at http://leadingedgematerials.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Norra-Karr_PFS_43-101-.pdf). Hafnium, named from the Latin for the Scandinavian city of Copenhagen, is a highly valued metal as it is extremely resistant to corrosion, and forms some of the highest melting point alloys known to man. More than 80% of hafnium is used for superalloys, plasma cutting equipment and nuclear control rods, with aerospace and gas turbine technologies forecast to substantially increase demand. Hafnium metal is presently valued at around $1,500 per kg with a total market approaching 100 tonnes per year.
Blair Way, President and CEO, stated �While additional revenue from the separation of high purity hafnium and zirconium is attractive, we are also motivated to achieve a high degree of resource efficiency at Norra K�rr, through the application of this technology to convert former was