Talon Metals drills 3.04% NiEq over 101.71 metres at Tamarack, Minnesota
Talon Metals Corp. [TLO-TSX; TLOFF-OTC] has successfully drilled 101.71 metres (333 feet) of high-grade nickel-copper mineralization at the Tamarack nickel project, Minnesota, grading 1.94% nickel, 1.84% copper, 0.35 g/t palladium, 0.64 g/t platinum and 0.62 g/t gold (1.61 g/t PGEt + Au) (3.04% nickel equivalent).
The drill hole was completed in partnership with a research team from Columbia University that is funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) program that funds novel approaches to enhanced metal recoveries within the mining industry.
A team from Columbia University has partnered with Talon to use critical mineral concentrates from the Tamarack Nickel Project to conduct lab studies that will explore potential novel processing technologies that lower the CO2 footprint of mining operations, while increasing the amount of nickel and copper extracted from ore (beyond the high metallurgical recoveries already achievable at the Tamarack Nickel Project). These R&D programs aim to increase US nickel production and lower the overall cost of nickel extraction compared to standard industry practices.
Using funds from Columbia’s ARPA-E grant, Talon drilled 101.71 metres (333 feet) of high-grade nickel-copper mineralization (3.04% NiEq) at the Tamarack Nickel Project. This drill hole is located within the Tamarack Resource Area.
“Intercepting 101.71 metres (333 feet) of high-grade nickel-copper mineralization is a reminder of the uniqueness of the Tamarack Nickel Project’s US nickel resources,” said Henri van Rooyen, CEO of Talon. “Most projects aspire to intercept just 2 metres (6.6 feet) of high-grade nickel. The goal of this Columbia collaboration is to both add to our understanding of the ore body, while also supporting research aimed at recovering additional nickel, copper and other critical minerals used in clean energy systems.”
“One exciting aspect of this drill hole is that the copper and PGE grades are much higher than anticipated compared to the nickel grades, especially in the lower zone of mineralization where 12.4 metres assayed at 2.98% Ni, 3.84% Cu, 1.38 g/t Pd, 2.79 g/t Pt, and 2.68 g/t Au (6.85 g/t PGEt+Au),”said Brian Goldner, Chief Exploration Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Talon. “The exploration team is working to model this unusual area of fractionated mineralization to identify other areas within the resource it may be residing.”
Alan West, Professor of Chemical Engineering in Columbia’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the project’s Principal Investigator, remarked: “The Columbia Engineering team is very excited to partner with Talon and ARPA-E. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate and scale our processes aimed at improving the recovery of the critical materials that we need to transition energy systems and manufacturing to sustainable technologies, while also minimizing local environmental impacts of metals production.”
Henri van Rooyen concluded: “Talon is taking a ‘full value mining’ approach and harnessing innovation to understand how we can do mineral extraction in a better way. By working with top-notch US research and development institutions like Columbia University, we are hoping to deliver better outcomes that help the United States create secure domestic supplies of critical minerals for clean energy systems.”
Talon is in a joint venture with Rio Tinto on the high-grade Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project located in central Minnesota. The Tamarack Nickel Project comprises a large land position (18km of strike length) with additional high-grade intercepts outside the current resource area.
Talon can earn up to 60% of the Tamarack Nickel Project, and currently owns 51%. The company is focused on expanding and infilling its current high-grade nickel mineralization resource prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 standards to shape a mine plan for submission to Minnesota regulators, and following up on additional high-grade nickel mineralization in the Tamarack Intrusive Complex.
Talon has an agreement with Tesla Inc. to supply it with 75,000 metric tonnes (165 million lbs) of nickel in concentrate (and certain by-products, including cobalt and iron) from the Tamarack Nickel Project over an estimated six-year period once commercial production is achieved. Talon has a neutrality and workforce development agreement in place with the United Steelworkers union. Talon’s Battery Mineral Processing Facility in Mercer County was selected by the US Department of Energy for US$114 million funding grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.