Patriot Battery Metals unlocks tantalum as a byproduct critical metal at Quebec project

[Ben Graham]

Patriot Battery Metals (TSX: PMET; ASX: PMT; OTCQX: PMETF) provided an update on work streams currently underway to unlock tantalum – another important and high-value critical and strategic metal present in abundance at its Shaakichiuwaanaan property, located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec.

Tantalum, which is primarily hosted in the mineral tantalite at Shaakichiuwaanaan, has been commercially recovered from LCT pegmatites historically and at active mining operations today (e.g., Greenbushes, Pilgangoora, Wodgina, and Tanco). This potentially de-risks the pathway to recover tantalum at Shaakichiuwaanaan.

Further bolstering this potential is the ranking of the MRE at Shaakichiuwaanaan as a top-5 tantalum pegmatite in the world in terms of both grade and tonnage, highlighting the exceptional critical metal endowment present at the project – 108.0 Mt at 1.40% Li₂O and 166 ppm Ta₂O₅ indicated, and 33.3 Mt at 1.33% Li₂O and 156 ppm Ta₂O₅ inferred. This equates to contained tantalum content of 23,104 tonnes (50.9 million pounds) Ta₂O₅.

As is common in LCT pegmatites, the tantalum mineralization is zoned within the wider pegmatite body and often overlaps with lithium mineralization zonation. Very high-grade tantalum zones are present within the deposit, which may overlap with high-grade lithium zones. Drill intersections include:

• 9.6 m at 0.94% Li₂O and 2,307 ppm Ta₂O₅ (CV23-271) – CV13
• 9.5 m at 1.12% Li₂O and 1,538 ppm Ta₂O₅ (CV24-441) – CV5
• 22.7 m at 2.79% Li₂O and 972 ppm Ta₂O₅ (CV24-661) – CV5
• 22.9 m at 2.58% Li₂O and 621 ppm Ta₂O₅ (CV23-181) – CV5

Through the lithium-focused exploration and resource development drilling completed to date at the property, the company has identified other high-value critical metal potential by-products in addition to the existing large-scale lithium mineral resource at Shaakichiuwaanaan, namely caesium, tantalum, and gallium. 

The current phase of tantalum recovery testwork at SGS Canada’s Lakefield, ON, facility is anticipated to be completed in the coming weeks and is focused on recovery from the lithium process waste streams. This work will allow for a preliminary understanding of process design to be developed and an estimate of the overall concentrate grade and recovery that may be expected. A follow-up program is planned that will include further assessment as a potential “bolt-on” recovery circuit to the primary lithium recovery circuit, as well as targeting optimizations of the process.     

The company is also actively engaged with potential end-users and supply chain participants to further develop the economic opportunity in the tantalum products anticipated to be derived from the project.

The lithium-only feasibility study based on the CV5 mineral resource component of the overall Shaakichiuwaanaan MRE is on-track for completion in the third quarter of 2025 and remains the near-term focus for the company. The economic potential in critical metal by-products will be assessed once the lithium-only feasibility study is completed, with various studies concurrently underway to better evaluate the opportunities present for caesium, tantalum, and gallium specifically.