Alaska Energy Metals Reports Pressure Oxidation Results from Nikolai Project Testing
Alaska Energy Metals reported Pressure Oxidation extraction rates and additional locked cycle flotation results from testing on concentrate produced from the Eureka Deposit.
Alaska Energy Metals Corporation (TSXV:AEMC)(OTCQB:AKEMF) has reported Pressure Oxidation extraction results from testing on a bulk nickel-copper concentrate produced from the Eureka Deposit, part of the Nikolai Project in Alaska. The company also released results from an additional locked cycle flotation test.
Testing carried out by Simulus Laboratories in Welshpool, Western Australia, examined how a bulk nickel-copper-cobalt sulfide concentrate responded to pressure oxidation and solution treatment. The work used Lifezone’s proprietary hydrometallurgical technology.
The composite sample came from a flotation Locked Cycle Test and had a head assay of 8.0% nickel, 4.0% Cu, 0.29% Co, 2.19 g/t Pt, 4.80 g/t Pd and 0.51 g/t Au.
Alaska Energy Metals identified several processing approaches for further consideration, including total or partial pressure oxidation, single-stage recovery of base and precious metals through chlorinated pressure oxidation, and two-stage leaching using separate streams.
The company plans additional hydrometallurgical testing on lower-grade concentrate samples collected to maximise nickel recovery. It said an economic assessment may follow once more information is available. That work may include comparing incremental metal recoveries with reagent consumption and materials of construction, followed by further refining tests for the selected case.
CEO Gregory Beischer said on-site hydrometallurgical refining could remove the need to ship concentrate to an existing smelter, noting that no nickel smelters exist in the US. He also said potentially higher metal payability, particularly for copper, would need to be considered alongside increased capital costs.
The company completed a fourth locked cycle test, known as LCT-4, after removing the secondary grind following the 1st cleaner cell. The test produced recoveries of 54.3% nickel, 57.4% copper, 26.2% cobalt, 43.1% platinum, 42.5% palladium and 43.5% gold.
Compared with results reported on July 16, 2026, recovery increased by +4.9% for nickel, +6.9% for copper and +5.2% for cobalt. Platinum recovery decreased by -6.0%, palladium recovery by -0.6% and gold recovery by -0.4%.
The LCT-4 concentrate assayed 5.79% nickel, 3.15% copper, 0.23% cobalt, 1.03 g/t platinum, 2.63 g/t palladium and 0.66 g/t gold. Alaska Energy Metals said the concentrate grade was slightly lower than in the earlier test.
The LCT-4 concentrate will be sent to Simulus Laboratories for testing to determine whether a lower-grade bulk concentrate can produce similar extraction rates through hydrometallurgical processing.
Alaska Energy Metals is focused on the Nikolai Project and its Eureka Deposit in Interior Alaska. The company describes the project as a bulk-tonnage, polymetallic development containing nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, iron, platinum, palladium and gold. The project is near existing transportation and power infrastructure.
Gregory Beischer, the company’s President and CEO, is the qualified person responsible for and having reviewed and approved the technical information in the announcement under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
The company’s statements about additional testing and possible economic analysis concern future work and remain subject to risks and uncertainties, including mineral-resource estimates, regulatory actions, market prices, access to capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.
Alaska Energy Metals Corporation reported hydrometallurgical extraction results from Pressure Oxidation testing of a bulk nickel-copper concentrate from the Eureka Deposit, part of the Nikolai Project in Alaska. The company also reported results from an additional locked cycle flotation test.
The Pressure Oxidation testing achieved extraction rates of 97.2% nickel, 99.3% copper, 98.9% cobalt, 99.5% platinum, 86.1% palladium and 47.8% gold. The testing was conducted on a composite flotation sample from locked cycle testing.
The sample was a bulk nickel-copper-cobalt sulfide concentrate from the Eureka Deposit, produced through a composite flotation circuit sample from Locked Cycle Tests. Simulus Laboratories in Welshpool, Western Australia subjected the sample to pressure oxidation and solution treatment using Lifezone’s proprietary hydromet technology.
The composite Locked Cycle Test sample had a head assay of 8.0% nickel, 4.0% Cu, 0.29% Co, 2.19 g/t Pt, 4.80 g/t Pd and 0.51 g/t Au.
Alaska Energy Metals Corporation identified possible options including total or partial pressure oxidation, recovering base and precious metals in a single stage through chlorinated pressure oxidation, or using two-stage leaching to recover base and precious metals in two distinct streams. The company said these options would require further information and economic assessment.
CEO Gregory Beischer said on-site hydrometallurgical refining could eliminate the need to ship concentrate to an existing smelter, noting that no nickel smelters exist in the US. He also said higher metal payability, particularly for copper, should be balanced against increased capital costs.
The LCT-4 locked cycle test achieved recoveries of 54.3% nickel, 57.4% copper, 26.2% cobalt, 43.1% platinum, 42.5% palladium and 43.5% gold. The test removed the secondary grind following the 1st cleaner cell.
Compared with the results reported on July 16, 2026, LCT-4 increased nickel recovery by +4.9%, copper recovery by +6.9% and cobalt recovery by +5.2%. Platinum recovery decreased by -6.0%, palladium recovery by -0.6% and gold recovery by -0.4%.
The LCT-4 concentrate assayed 5.79% nickel, 3.15% copper, 0.23% cobalt, 1.03 g/t platinum, 2.63 g/t palladium and 0.66 g/t gold. The company said the concentrate grade was slightly lower than in the earlier test.
Alaska Energy Metals Corporation plans further hydrometallurgical testing on lower-grade concentrate samples collected to maximise nickel recovery. The LCT-4 concentrate will be sent to Simulus Laboratories to determine whether a lower-grade bulk concentrate can achieve similar extraction rates.
The company said an economic assessment of the various processing options may be performed once the additional information is available. It also identified trade-off analysis of incremental metal recoveries against reagent consumption and materials of construction, followed by further refining test work for the selected case.
Alaska Energy Metals Corporation is an Alaska-based corporation with offices in Anchorage and Vancouver focused on delineating and developing the large-scale, bulk-tonnage, polymetallic Nikolai Project and its Eureka Deposit. The company says the project contains nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, iron, platinum, palladium and gold, and is located in Interior Alaska near existing transportation and power infrastructure.
Alaska Energy Metals Corporation is identified in the announcement by the ticker symbols TSXV:AEMC and OTCQB:AKEMF.