New Industrial Minerals Project

RNS Number : 1112I

Sunrise Resources Plc

07 December 2015

 



7 December 2015

 

SUNRISE RESOURCES PLC

(the "Company")

Pozz Ash Project - New Industrial Minerals Project, Nevada, USA

Sunrise Resources plc, the AIM-traded diversified mineral exploration and development company, is pleased to advise that, following its recent agreement with EP Minerals, LLC for the further evaluation of the County Line Diatomite Deposit, it has staked claims over a second industrial minerals project in Nevada, USA.

The Pozz Ash Project claims cover a deposit of volcanic ash which the Company is now evaluating as a source of natural pozzolan for use as an environmentally friendly replacement for Portland cement in the manufacture of cement and concrete mixes.

Highlights

·     Large expanse of volcanic ash discovered with significant tonnage potential.

·     Favourable characteristics for use as a natural pozzolan:

o  meets chemical requirements of Class "N" natural pozzolan.

o  mineralogical character favourable for high pozzolanic activity.

·     Uniform chemical composition over wide area - in samples up to 2km apart.

·     Natural pozzolans have strong "green" credentials and a growing market.

·     Samples currently undergoing tests for industrial use.

Commenting today, Executive Chairman Patrick Cheetham said: "Climate change legislation and pressures are driving strong interest in natural pozzolans and so we are very pleased to have identified this opportunity during recent prospecting in Nevada. The project has significant tonnage potential and aligns with our strategy to seek out potential cash generative industrial minerals projects at low cost, a strategy validated by the recent agreement with EP Minerals, LLC for our County Line Diatomite Deposit."

Further information:

Sunrise Resources plc Patrick Cheetham, Executive Chairman	Tel:	[phone]
Northland Capital Partners Limited Edward Hutton/David Hignell John Howes/Mark Treharne (Broking)	Tel:	[phone]
Yellow Jersey PR Limited Dominic Barretto/Aidan Stanley	Tel:	[phone]

Detailed Information

The production of cement is responsible for 5% of the global man-made carbon dioxide emissions with nearly one tonne of CO₂ generated for each tonne of cement produced. Cement manufacturers are therefore under strong pressure to minimise their carbon footprint and the use of pozzolan as a partial replacement for Portland cement in cement and concrete mixes is one way in which this is being achieved.

Pozzolan is defined (ASTM C125) as a siliceous or siliceous and aluminous material, which in itself possesses little or no cementitious value but will, in finely divided form and in the presence of moisture, chemically react with calcium hydroxide (lime) at ordinary temperatures to form compounds possessing cementitious properties.

The Romans perfected the use in natural pozzolan/lime mixtures over 2000 years ago and "Roman" cement was the main cement used until Portland cement became popular in the early 1900s and established as the main hydraulic cement used today.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gasses, the use of pozzolan can provide benefits in terms of long-term strength and stability in cement and concrete.  Natural pozzolans can also replace the use of industrial by-product pozzolans such as coal fly ash in cement. The availability and quality of fly ash is under threat as coal fired power stations are phased out and quality becomes more variable due to increased emission control legislation.

Natural pozzolans are therefore experiencing a resurgence in demand based on their strong "green" credentials. Today, pozzolans are used as a direct additive to concrete mixes and as a partial replacement for cement in amounts of up to 35% of the cementing material.

The Pozz Ash Project

The Pozz volcanic ash deposit was recognised by the Company as being of possible commercial interest during recent prospecting work in Nevada.

Analysis of a single grab sample identified a favourable chemistry and mineralogy and was followed up by a mapping programme and the collection of further samples. Based on these sampling results, claims have now been staked to secure the Company's interest in the deposit.

Pozzolans are usually evaluated against a standard published by ASTM International, a standards organization that develops and publishes consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials. ASTM Standard C618 defines the chemical and physical requirements for pozzolans, including Class "N" natural pozzolan.

All of the samples collected so far from the Pozz ash deposit exceed the chemical requirements of ASTM standard C618 by a significant margin and show remarkably consistent chemistry, even over a 2km distance. This chemical consistency is important to cement manufacturers wanting to produce a consistent product.

Chemical Composition	ASTM C618 Chemical Requirements	Pozz Ash Chemical Analysis (Range in 8 surface samples)
Silicon dioxide (SiO2) plus aluminium oxide (Al2O3) plus iron oxide (Fe2O3)	Min. 70.0%	83.8-86.5%
Sulphur trioxide (SO3)	Max. 4.0%	0.01-0.03%
Loss on ignition, max. % 10.0	Max. 10.0%	5.21-5.78%

The physical specifications of ASTM C618 are largely based on physical testing of a material in cement mixes and reflect the requirement for a high pozzolanic activity which, in a natural material, is a function not only of its chemistry but also its mineralogy (especially its degree of crystallinity) and its surface area.

The mineralogical characteristics of the Pozz volcanic ash suggest a high pozzolanic activity. It has a high content (80%) of reactive amorphous minerals (glassy, non-crystalline) and a large surface area.

Whereas some natural pozzolans are hard and need to be quarried by blasting and then crushed and ground before use, the Pozz volcanic ash is fine grained and friable, will not require any blasting or crushing and could be mined and processed at very low cost. The project area is also favourably located close to well-maintained roads and other infrastructure.

A mini-bulk sample was collected during the recent sampling programme and is now undergoing an initial physical testing programme.

Notes

The information in this release has been compiled and reviewed by Mr. Patrick Cheetham (MIMMM, MAusIMM) who is a qualified person for the purposes of the AIM Note for Mining and Oil & Gas Companies. Mr Cheetham is a Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining and also a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy.

About Sunrise Resources plc

Sunrise Resources plc is an AIM-traded diversified mineral exploration and development company. The Company's objective is to develop profitable mining operations to sustain the Company's wider exploration efforts and create value for shareholders through the discovery of world-class deposits.

The Company has diamond and gold exploration interests in Western Australia and has staked claims and acquired leases over a number of base, precious metal and industrial mineral projects in Nevada, USA. The Company holds a royalty interest from EP Minerals in a Diatomite Project in Nevada and holds a white barite project in South-West Ireland.

Shares in the Company trade on AIM. EPIC: "SRES"

http://www.sunriseresourcesplc.com

 

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