Saint Jean Carbon Successfully Tests New Air Classifier Design
2021-10-26 14:37 ET - News Release
Dr. William Pfaffenberger reports
SAINT JEAN CARBON SUCCESSFULLY TESTS ITS NEW AIR CLASSIFIER DESIGN AND PRODUCES JUMBO GRAPHITE FLAKES
Saint Jean Carbon Inc. has successfully tested its new proprietary air classifier design to separate graphitic flakes from an undisclosed Canadian orebody of metamorphic rocks containing graphite.
During the first trial of the new proprietary air classifier design, the machine demonstrated capability to separate graphitic flakes into sizes ranging from plus-100 mesh (149 microns) to plus-30 mesh (595 microns). The largest graphite flakes separated by the machine were observed to be larger than plus-30 mesh in diameter.
The company's intended use for the air classifier is to produce the largest graphitic flake size possible, which the company expects would command the highest cost premium for graphite anode concentrates that are used in the production of lithium ion batteries for use in electric vehicles. Below is a microscopy of one sample of a typical jumbo graphite flake that was separated by Saint Jean's air classifier. This jumbo flake of graphite is approximately 1,500 microns in diameter and was separated in the third compartment of the air classifier.
The initial results from testing completed by a third party laboratory indicate that graphite purity in excess of 90 per cent may be achieved once the iron has been removed from graphitic flakes separated by the air classifier. Based on the results of this first equipment trial, the company believes that the air classification process can produce graphite concentrates to the grades required for lithium-ion battery anodes. The correlation of the computational fluid dynamics simulation, previously completed by the company, to the actual physical test results are significant as the company believes that further adjustments in the computer simulation will lead to further improvements of the capabilities of the air classifier. The company is planning additional air classifier trials to attempt to attain graphite concentrates with higher purity levels. Further effort will be needed to confirm the process and machinery are capable of production scale-up.
V-Bond Lee, chief technology officer, quotes: "We are very excited that we were able to demonstrate that the air classifier is capable of producing statistically similar results to the engineering computer simulation. This shows the importance of ensuring high fidelity in the engineering simulations. We are also motivated by the possibility that our proprietary air classifier technology, using aerodynamics, can provide competitive advantages over traditional wet processes such as flotation, where chemicals and reagents from wet tailings need to be reclaimed. The advantages of air classification are substantial in simplicity, costs and impact to the environment."
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