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October 18, 2017: Focus Graphite Unveils Its Highly Conductive Ultrafine and Expanded Graphites For Battery Cathodes Creating a Complete Line of Value-Added Lac Knife Graphite Products for Lithium-Ion and Alkaline Batteries Email not displaying correctly?
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Focus Graphite Unveils Its Highly Conductive Ultrafine and Expanded Graphites For Battery Cathodes Creating a Complete Line of Value-Added Lac Knife Graphite Products for Lithium-Ion and Alkaline Batteries

Testing Indicates Electrical Conductivity of Lac Knife’s Ultrafine and Expanded Graphites Outperform Commercially Available Synthetic and Standard Flake Graphites by up to a Factor of 10

OTTAWA – Focus Graphite Inc. (TSX-V: FMS; TCQX: FCSMF; FSE: FKC) is pleased to report that ongoing independent testing of its new ultrafine grades of flake graphite and expanded, natural flake graphite from its Lac Knife, Québec Project demonstrate up to 10 times the electrical conductivity over standard grades of synthetic and natural graphite used in Li-Ion and Alkaline battery cathode applications.

Focus Graphite is the sole owner of the Lac Knife high purity graphite project located just south of Fermont, in the Cote Nord District of Québec. The Company’s aim is to produce value added coated spherical graphite and expanded graphite products for anodes and cathodes used in a range of battery applications.

Focus Graphite’s new superfine grades of flake graphite and the ultrafine grades of expanded graphite were first presented at the 34th International Battery Symposium (IBS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by Dr. Joseph Doninger, Focus’ Director of Technology and Manufacturing on March 21, 2017. (The complete technical presentation entitled Advances in the Performance of Lac Knife Natural Flake and Expanded Graphite in Electrochemical Power Sources” can be accessed by following the link)

Dr. Doninger’s presentation also included the introduction of the Company’s Superfine Coated Spherical Graphite product to add to its standard and fine grades developed previously and an update on long-term battery cycle testing.

The Company’s latest achievements are an extension to Dr. Doninger’s developmental efforts first reported on March 31, 2016 at the 33rd International Battery Seminar. That initial publication of expanded graphite test results demonstrated that the expanded Lac Knife flake graphite produced nearly doubled the electrical conductivity of the cathode mix when compared with the standard competing grades of synthetic and flake graphites.

Expanded graphite is a form of processed natural crystalline flake, featuring dramatically improved electrical conductivity in cathode mixes. Delaminated expanded flake is also preferable to conventional air-milled flake and/or premium quality synthetic graphites when higher conductivity properties are desired.
 

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Tokyo Tech Identifies Key Reasons for the Ease & High-Yield Conversion of Zenyatta’s Albany Graphite to Graphene



Thunder Bay, Ontario



19 October 2017

Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (“Zenyatta” or “Company”) (TSXV: ZEN) announces testing results from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (‘Tokyo Tech’) in Japan have identified key reasons for the ease and high-yield conversion of Albany graphite to graphene.

One of the greatest challenges for commercializing graphene in various applications, since its discovery at the University of Manchester, is how to produce high-quality material, on a large scale at low cost, in a consistent manner.

Dr. Yoshihiko Arao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tokyo Tech, stated “Zenyatta’s high-purity graphite material was tested by our scientific team on mechanical conversion to graphene and discovered it converted much easier and with higher yields of graphene than our reference material. We have tested many types of natural graphite but found Zenyatta’s graphite material to have better exfoliation performance and produce better graphene particles than the reference material. We believe that this is an extraordinary, unique material and we would like to carry out further collaborative work with Zenyatta on graphene applications.”

Research by Dr. Arao and Professor Dr. Masatoshi Kubouchi at Tokyo Tech has shown the following significant test results:

1. D-Spacing measurements of Zenyatta carbon material is relatively larger compared to three (3) other commercially available high purity graphite samples. D-spacing is unique to all crystals and described as the distance between two (graphene) atomic layers or interlayer spacing. The Albany graphite also exhibited some turbostratic structure or natural irregular stacking.

Importantly, these factors have contributed to the ease of conversion and greater yield of high quality graphene from Albany graphite. This can be attributed to the unusual geologic mode of formation (igneous hydrothermal process) which accounts for the superior purity, crystallinity and overall quality of the graphite found in this unique deposit.

2. Graphene exfoliated from Albany graphite showed the highest aspect ratio with an average thickness of 1.43 nanometres or 1-4 graphene layers. Also, the optical absorbance of the Zenyatta graphene dispersion was 2-10 times better than the other 3 tested reference samples which demonstrate concentrated graphene dispersion can be obtained.

This further confirms the reason for success on graphene development initiatives, especially in composites, from other collaborators in UK, Canada, USA and Israel. We have established that Zenyatta’s graphite converts (exfoliates) easily to graphene, producing mono-layer to tri-layer material, has excellent dispersion properties and is highly suitable for many graphene and graphene-oxide applications.

Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO for Zenyatta stated, “The obstacle to widespread use of graphene since discovery is the high manufacturing cost. A lower-cost and disruptive approach is to use high-purity natural graphite, like Albany material, as the starting point to get easier and higher yields of graphene in an environmentally friendly manner. We are eager to start another phase of testing at a world class facility like Tokyo Tech using our high-purity graphite material for various innovative graphene applications.”

Tokyo Tech is the top national university for science and technology in Japan with a history spanning more than 130 years. It is the largest institution for higher education dedicated to science and technology, and is considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in Japan and the world. Tokyo Tech continues to develop global leaders in the fields of science and technology, and contributes to the betterment of society through its research, focusing on solutions to global issues. The Institute's long-term goal is to become the world's leading science and technology university. Characterization of Zenyatta’s natural graphite was completed at Tokyo Tech using a conversion of mechanical, liquid phase exfoliation, followed by testing methods comprised of SEM observation, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical absorbance analysis.

Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. continues to develop its large and unique Albany graphite deposit in Ontario, Canada. The Company’s highly crystalline graphite deposit is situated 30 km north of the Trans-Canada Highway, power line and natural gas pipeline near the communities of Constance Lake First Nation and Hearst. A rail line is located 30 km away with an all-weather road approximately 10 km from the graphite deposit. The world trend is to develop products for technological applications that need extraordinary performance using ultra-high purity graphite powder and graphene at an affordable cost. High-purity and highly crystalline carbon material is gaining prominence in the cleantech sector at a time when Zenyatta discovered an extremely rare igneous hosted, fluid derived graphite deposit. Albany graphite can be upgraded with the optimum particle size without the use of aggressive acids (hydrofluoric) or high temperature thermal treatment therefore having an environmental advantage over other types of upgraded high-purity graphite material.
 

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Posted on October 23, 2017 / in News
NanoXplore Inc. Announces the Acquisition of CEBO Injections SA, Expanding its Presence in Europe


MONTREAL, QUEBEC – NanoXplore Inc. (TSX VENTURE:GRA), a world leading graphene company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of CEBO Injections SA (“CEBO”), a Swiss-based injection molding company, from BCR Plastic Group. CEBO provides customers with high precision and high-quality injection molded products, and serves the automotive, medical, industrial and watches manufacturing markets. CEBO has expertise in highly precise parts, over molding, insert molding, and complex and precise parts and assemblies of plastic, metal and ceramic.

Dr. Soroush Nazarpour, President and CEO of NanoXplore commented: “Our graphene improves the performance and minimises shrinkage of injection molded plastic parts such as those provided by CEBO. Acquiring CEBO will allow NanoXplore to demonstrate the benefits of graphene to CEBO’s existing customers while providing NanoXplore with an entry into the European market, accelerating the adoption of graphene enhanced thermoplastics.”

The acquisition of CEBO is anticipated to close during November 2017. Completion of the acquisition remains subject to ordinary closing conditions as are customary in transactions of this nature.
 

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October
24, 2017

At the request of
the
Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada
(“IIROC”), Northern Graphite Corporation
(the “Company”) wishes to confirm that the Company’s management is unaware of any material change in the Company’s affairs or operations that would account for the recent increase in market activity. Gregory Bowes, CEO, commented that; “Supply issues in China, a recovering steel market, a very positive outlook for demand from the lithium ion battery industry and electric vehicles, and recent increases in graphite prices may all be contributing factors.”
 

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Focus Graphite Creates a 613 mAh/Kg Reversible Capacity Silicon-Enhanced Graphite Anode for Li-Ion Batteries – Nearly Doubling Theoretical Capacity of 372 mAh/Kg
OTTAWA – Focus Graphite Inc. (FMS: TSX-V; OTCQX: FCSMF; FSE: FKC) (“Focus” or the “Company”) is pleased to report it has developed a silicon-enhanced graphite anode for next generation lithium-ion batteries.


Testing in CR2016 coin cells showed the Company’s initial efforts to introduce nano-sized silicon into Lac Knife spherical graphite anode materials were successful in nearly doubling the capacity of Lithium-Ion batteries currently using synthetic and standard flake graphite in the anode mix.

Dr. Joseph Doninger, Focus Director of Manufacturing and Technology – who headed the testing program– said the testing results pushed performance well beyond the prescribed limits of theoretical reversible capacity of 372 Ah/kg for lithium-ion battery cells.

“Our aim has always been to create and develop scientific solutions that not only work, but solutions that win for our customers and the marketplace,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Economo.

“The combination of our graphite resource at Lac Knife and the in-house scientific and technical capabilities to overcome performance and safety issues related to Lithium-Ion batteries may well represent a significant step forward for the battery industry,” Mr. Economo said.

In a February 25, 2015 news release, the Company announced its spherical graphite (SPG) exhibited superior performance in coin cells when compared with commercial grades of synthetic graphite.
As shown, Focus Graphite’s carbon coated fine grade of spherical graphite (SPG) at a reversible capacity of 366 Ah/kg is very close to the theoretical limit of 372 Ah/kg achievable with graphite. In addition, coin cells made with the two commercial grades of synthetic graphite achieved reversible capacities of only 345 and 347 Ah/kg, about 6% lower in capacity than the Lac Knife SPG. However, both the excellent performance of the Focus SPG and the commercial grades of synthetic graphite used in the anode have almost half of the capacity achieved with the new Focus silicon-enhanced Lac Knife SPG.


With pure silicon alone used as the anode material, theoretical reversible capacities as high as 4200 Ah/kg are possible. However, there is a serious problem with using silicon in that it swells and contracts as much as much as 400% during the lithiation and de-lithiation process that occurs during cycling. This results in the formation of an unstable anode and hence an unusable lithium- ion battery. Much work has been reported in the literature to add lithium to the graphite used in the anodes but continuing stability problems caused by the swelling of the silicon have held back its development.

“Focus Graphite has developed a process that addresses this problem and as indicated in Figure 2 below, with the addition of 18 wt. % silicon nanoparticles into our Lac Knife SPG, we have shown the possibility of achieving a reversible capacity value of 613 Ah/kg – almost twice the capacity of the commercially available grades of synthetic graphite and our standard Lac Knife spherical graphite,” said Dr. Doninger.

This data was presented at the 30th International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition held from October 9th to 11th , 2017, in Stuttgart, Germany. A copy of the paper presented is available on the Focus website via the following link: Electrochemical Performance of Lac Knife Natural Crystalline Flake Graphite from Quebec, Canada in Lithium Ion Batteries.


As shown above, a reversible capacity of 613 Ah/kg was achieved with the Lac Knife silicon-enhanced SPG at a C/20 rate after the first cycle which is the same charging rate that was used in the coin cell tests run on the synthetic and Lac Knife graphite anode materials shown in Figure 1. Although the irreversible capacity loss (ICL) after the first cycle was 26.4% compared to 0.7% for the untreated SPG, the high reversible capacity achieved with the silicon-enhanced SPG indeed is quite remarkable particularly since these tests were conducted on an uncoated grade of spherical graphite.

“Additional testing is being planned to optimize both the formulations and process used to produce the silicon-enhanced Lac Knife SPG. These tests, along with coating the SPG with carbon to cushion the swelling that can occur due to the presence of silicon in the graphite, should result in further increases in the reversible capacity and decreases in the irreversible capacity loss.

“Ultimately, we have developed a silicon-enhanced graphite based anode that results in an incredible increase in the capacity potential for lithium-ion batteries,” Dr. Doninger said.

Mr. Economo said the Company’s ongoing, long-term product testing program has contributed to the development of a complete range of technology graphite products – including new graphite products to the industry.

“The advances we have made in the development of our superfine graphite anode materials, our expanded graphite for Lithium-Ion battery cathodes and, now; silicon-enhanced spherical graphite for anodes underscores our aims and objectives of meeting industry needs,” Mr. Economo said.

“And that is, to provide manufacturers with higher-performing, lower cost graphite materials and products to meet next generational requirements,” he said.

Mr. Economo said battery manufacturers and institutions are currently testing Focus’ Lac Knife graphite products globally. The average testing period is approximately 24 months with some potential customers nearing the end of their long-term evaluations.

The following figures provide a partial overview of the scope of Focus Graphite’s silicon-doped graphite anode test project results.
 

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Zenyatta Ventures and Western University Initiate a Project to Develop Graphene Enhanced Plastic for the Aerospace and Automotive Sectors



Thunder Bay, ON

9 November 2017

Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (“Zenyatta” or “Company”) (TSXV: ZEN) is pleased to announce the commencement of a collaborative research project with Dr. Takashi Kuboki at Western University (‘Western’) to develop an advanced plastic (polymer composite) using Zenyatta graphene (or graphene-oxide) derived from Albany high-purity graphite deposit. An enhanced polymer composite material will be attractive to the automotive, aerospace and construction industries that seek lightweight materials with added strength, electrical and thermal properties. Graphene, a single sheet of carbon discovered in 2004 at the University of Manchester, is a new and exciting nanomaterial that can perform all of these functions.

The quickest, simplest and most effective way for commercializing large volumes of graphene is to combine it with existing products in the market place that need enhancement, like composite materials. Zenyatta recently announced significant success using its high quality graphene to improve compressive and tensile strength of concrete in Israel and enhanced rubber composites in the United Kingdom. This new project may expand the Company’s business opportunities as a graphene nanomaterial supplier for the polymer composite markets also.

Zenyatta recently announced the easily exfoliation of Albany graphite via sonication to produce a consistent 1-4 layer graphene which was then homogenously dispersed into a concrete and rubber composite to improve performance. The dispersion quality of the graphene will be of paramount importance for boosting the performance of a polymer composite as well.

Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO of Zenyatta commented, “We continue to find that the unique properties of our graphite enable easy production of a consistent high quality and easily dispersible graphene which is opening doors for new and important disruptive technologies, especially composites. Zenyatta recently achieved success demonstrating the use of its graphene in concrete and rubber composites with Dr. Oren Regev at Ben-Gurion University in Israel and Dr. Alan Dalton at University of Sussex in England. Using graphene in composites is considered “low-hanging fruit” and the Company will continue to play an increased and active role on collaborative research in this valuable sector.”

Dr. Takashi Kuboki, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Western commented, “During this research and testing project, injection molded plastic will be manufactured using Zenyatta’s graphene (or graphene oxide) as an additive. Many industries, including aerospace and automotive are very important to Ontario and Canada. These sectors strive to adopt new technology components made from plastics or polymer composites to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency but maintain strength. Also, graphene enhanced electrical properties of composites may protect against electrostatic discharge (i.e. lightning) while increased thermal properties are important for dissipating high temperature (i.e. heat sink in electronics).”

This project is receiving Federal funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (“NSERC”) Engage Grant program to allow a team of scientists under the direction of Dr. Kuboki at Western in London, Ontario, Canada to carry out this advanced nanomaterial research. There is a significant opportunity for the Canadian plastic and composite manufacturing industry to benefit from a high-quality graphene material located in northern Ontario to produce new lighter, stronger, more thermally stable technology products. This can contribute to the global competitiveness of a leading edge domestic industry to enhance the growth of the Canadian economy.

Mr. Eveleigh also stated, “We are very pleased to receive recognition and support from the Canadian NSERC Engage program which complements our various other collaborative research partnerships. The Albany project has the potential to produce high-purity graphite product that is converted to high quality graphene. This material could lead to high-tech, value-added business opportunities to emerge in Ontario and Canada. On behalf of Zenyatta, I would like to thank the Canadian Government for this important support in developing a novel product.”

About Zenyatta. Zenyatta is developing its large and unique Albany graphite deposit in Ontario, Canada. The Company’s highly crystalline (Igneous-type) graphite deposit is situated 30 km north of the Trans-Canada Highway, power line and natural gas pipeline near the communities of Constance Lake First Nation and Hearst. A rail line is located 50 km away and an all-weather road approximately 10 km from the deposit.

About Western. Western University delivers an academic experience second to none. Since 1878, The Western Experience has combined academic excellence with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social and cultural growth in order to better serve our communities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western attracts individuals who have a broad worldview and who seek to study, influence and lead in the international community.
 

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NanoXplore Inc.: Martinrea International Inc. Unveils Investment and Partnership


November 15th, 2017, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

NanoXplore Inc. (“NanoXplore”) (TSX-V:GRA), a world leading graphene company, is pleased to report that today, Martinrea International Inc. (“Martinrea”) (TSX: MRE) has announced their investment in NanoXplore and discussed an ongoing joint work program in their quarterly conference call.

Martinrea is an international auto parts manufacturer with more than 14,000 employees at over 50 manufacturing and engineering facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Martinrea produces parts and assemblies, modules, fluid-management systems and offers lightweighting solutions, primarily for the automotive sector.

Martinrea became a shareholder of NanoXplore following their participation in the equity financing which closed on August 2nd, 2017. Both companies have been working on product development since. Below is an excerpt from the transcript of the conference call held on November 15th 2017.

Pat D’Eramo, Chief Executive Officer and President, Martinrea International Inc.: “Also related to new technology, some months ago we made an investment in NanoXplore, a company that has developed a new way of manufacturing graphene, at a competitive price.

As you may have noted in our report our investment has grown 3x in value, which is great, but it’s not what primarily excites us about this product.

Graphene is a unique material that has strengthening and lightweighting characteristics.

Graphene was isolated and extracted early this century, in fact the inventors won a Nobel Prize in Physics for their hard work. In the past the ability to manufacture it on a large scale has not been practical. Through the work of companies like NanoXplore this unique material is becoming more available and we believe will be a significant player in the future of lightweighting. There is a plethora of products that will be touched or replaced by graphene such as injection molded enclosures including EMI shielded parts, batteries, structural components, electrical components. Graphene characteristics include improved mechanical, thermal and electrical advantages over current materials such as carbon black. It can be used to enhance battery capacity and improve charging time as well as improving gas permeation and anticorrosive performance. We have no doubt that graphene is becoming a bigger player in the automotive space as well as industrial businesses and we’re glad that we are a part of this exciting development. Currently, we are working with them on some development related to our fluids products.”

About NanoXplore
NanoXplore is a graphene company, a manufacturer and supplier of high volume graphene powder for use in industrial markets as well as standard and custom enhanced thermoplastic products to many customers in transportation, packaging, electronics and other industrial sectors. For more information visit www.nanoxplore.ca.
 

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Leading Edge Materials Intersects Thickest Interval of Lithium Mineralization at Bergby, Sweden
Published by Craig P at 17th November 2017
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Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (the “Company”) (TSXV: LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to announce results from the first five holes drilled as part of the second program of drilling completed at the Company’s 100% owned Bergby lithium project in Sweden. Results from infill and step out holes have included the thickest mineralized interval intersected to date of 19.5m @ 1.12% Li2O (lithium oxide) in hole BBY17020.
Key Results:

  • BBY17019 intersected 12.6m @ 0.83% Li2O, from 21.1m depth
  • BBY17020 intersected 19.5m @ 1.12% Li2O, 184ppm Ta2O5 (tantalum oxide), from 13.6m depth
  • BBY17021 intersected 1.0m @ 0.96% Li2O, from 15.4m depth
  • BBY17023 intersected 8.2m @ 0.14% Li2O from 57.1m depth
  • BBY17024 intersected 8.1m @ 0.23% Li2O, from 56.1m depth
Holes were drilled in the southern area of the prospect to infill and test down dip from previous drilling. Of particular note, hole BBY17020, the second most mineralized hole drilled at Bergby to date, was both thicker and higher grade than holes on adjacent 50m sections (which graded 6.40m @ 0.64% Li2O and 16.35m @ 1.00% Li2O). Furthermore, lithium mineralization in hole BBY17021 was discovered in an intermediate volcanic unit, rather than the pegmatite which had been the subject of all previous exploration and assaying.

The drill program is now complete, with 15 holes drilled for a total of 991.0m. Bergby has now been tested by a total of 33 drill holes to a maximum depth of 131.1m over an approximate 1500m strike length. Drill hole locations and results are provided in Tables 1 and 2 and presented as Figure 1. The true thickness of mineralized intervals is interpreted to be approximately 90% of the sampled thickness.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated “Our exploration at Bergby has continued to deliver very promising results, and a high grade and thickness interval like 19.5m 1.12% Li2O at very shallow depth provides us with a lot of optimism. While Bergby remains an early stage discovery, we are now preparing for metallurgical testwork to move the project to the next stage. We look forward to sharing the next round of drill results from this second phase program as they become available.”

Bergby lies in central Sweden, 25km north of the town of Gävle, secured by three exploration licenses that cover a total of 1,903 Ha. The site is close to infrastructure, with major roads, rail and power supply passing immediately adjacent to the claim boundaries. The potential for low cost and rapid development is significantly enhanced by the presence of a deep-water port only 5km from the site.
 

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November 20, 2017: Focus Graphite Launches Phase III Drilling at its 100%-owned Lac Tétépisca Flake Graphite Project, Québec - 38 Holes Planned (total: 5,750 m) Email not displaying correctly?
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Focus Graphite Launches Phase III Drilling at its 100%-owned Lac Tétépisca Flake Graphite Project, Québec - 38 Holes Planned (total: 5,750 m)

OTTAWA -- Focus Graphite Inc. (FMS: TSX-V; OTCQX: FCSMF; FSE: FKC) (“Focus” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the commencement of Phase III drilling at the Company’s wholly owned Lac Tétépisca Flake Graphite Project (“the Project”) located southwest of the Manicouagan reservoir in the Côte-Nord administrative region of Québec. Phase III drilling continues to target the “Manicouagan-Ouest Graphitic Corridor” (MOGC), a 2.0 km-long graphite bearing structure mapped by the Company through prospecting, mechanical trenching and combined ground magnetic (MAG)-EM geophysical surveying from 2012 to 2014.

Phase I drilling conducted in 2014 tested a 600-m section of the MOGC with 16 holes (total: 1,873 m) positioned along four sections spaced 200 m apart. In 2016, the Company completed a second phase of infill and extension drilling on the MOGC which included 18 HQ-diameter holes (total: 2,424 m) drilled along four fences, completing the 200-m line spacing pattern in the extent of the MOGC, plus five (5) additional infill holes drilled at a 100-m spacing between 2014 fences. Fifteen (15) holes from the Phase II program intersected significant graphitic mineralization with grades ranging from 5.6% graphitic carbon (Cg) to 19.35% Cg over a minimum true thickness of 6.2 m (refer to Focus news release dated January 20, 2017, available at www.focusgraphite.com).

Phase III drilling commenced on November 17 using two drills rigs. Thirty-eight (38) HQ-diameter holes are planned (total: 5,750 m). The drilling is designed to further test the continuity, thickness and grade of the main graphitic mineralization within the MOGC at a 50-m hole spacing over a segment of 0.9 km and down to a vertical depth of 150 m. The large diameter drilling is also designed to provide graphite mineralization material to continue with pilot plant metallurgical testwork.

Gary Economo, President and CEO of Focus states: “By the end of this year, Focus will have investigated a 1.4 km segment of the Manicouagan-Ouest Graphitic Corridor (MOGC) with an anticipated total of 9,800 m of systematic large diameter core drilling. The information gathered from the three drilling programs will then be combined to generate an initial mineral resource estimate on the highest-grade section of the MOCG by Q3 2018, which will then form the basis for the preparation of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the Project.”

The fall 2017 exploration program at Lac Tétépisca is designed and operated by IOS Services Géoscientifiques of Chicoutimi, Québec, under the supervision of the Table Jamésienne de Concertation Minière (TJCM) of Chibougamau, Québec. The core drilling contractor is Chibougamau Diamond Drilling Ltd. of Chibougamau, Québec. Focus has earmarked a budget of $1.35 million for the fall exploration program.

Sample preparation will be provided by IOS, while assaying will be provided by the Consortium de Recherche en Traitement de Minerais (COREM) of Québec City. All core will be assayed for graphitic carbon and total sulfur, with an additional 10% of all samples to be assayed for total carbon, inorganic carbon, organic carbon and metallic trace elements. Quality control, monitored by an IOS chemist, will consist of 15% reference materials, including blank samples, certified and internal reference material, as well as 10% duplicates to be assayed by Activation Laboratories of Ancaster, Ontario.

About the Lac Tétépisca Flake Graphite Project

Focus’ 100%-owned Lac Tétépisca graphite property is comprised of 69 contiguous map-designated claims cells (“CDC”) forming a polygon with an area of 3,720.9 ha located on the southwest shore of the Manicouagan reservoir (NTS sheets 22N-03 and 22N-06), in the Côte-Nord administrative region of northeastern Québec. The project area is located 234 km north-northwest of the city of Baie-Comeau and is accessible year-round by logging roads which start from Route 389.

The MOCG is hosted in meta-sedimentary rocks of the Nault Formation, which is part of the Gagnon Group. The graphite-bearing outcrops within the corridor are composed of fine to medium grained quartz-feldspar-biotite schists with local occurrences of garnet and kyanite. Fine to coarse graphite flakes and associated sulphides compose 10% to 20% of the rocks, and up to 50% in strongly mineralized zones.
 

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MASON GRAPHITE ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBER AND DETAILS OTHER ACTIVITIES

November 22th, 2017


Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Mason Graphite Inc. ("Mason Graphite" or the "Company") (TSX.V: LLG; OTCQX: MGPHF) and its Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Godin, Eng., ASC, as a Director as of November 23, 2017.


Patrick Godin’s extensive experience in project development and operations will be highly valuable to the Company as it moves forward. Mr. Godin is currently Chief Operating Officer of Stornoway Diamond Corporation where he has overall responsibility for the development of the Renard Diamond Project in north-central Québec, which was recently put into production. Prior to joining Stornoway, Mr. Godin acted as Vice-President, Project Development for G Mining Services and, among other, participated in the development of the Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso under contract to IAMGOLD. He was previously Vice-President of Operations for Canadian Royalties, specifically heading the development of their nickel project in northern Québec.

The Company would like to report that it has accepted the resignation of M. Alastair Neill from its Board of Directors and would like to thank M. Neill for its contribution to the progress of the Company over the last five years.

New Appointment to Managing Team

Mason Graphite has appointed Mrs. Genevieve Gauthier, P. Eng., as Director, Metallurgy and Processes. For the last ten years, Mrs. Gauthier has been working for Soutex as mineral processing engineer for iron, gold and graphite ores. Over the last four years, she was instrumental in developing with Mason Graphite’s team the concentration process of Lac Guéret Project and she significantly contributed to the Feasibility Study and pre-execution work. In her new position within Mason Graphite, she will be responsible for the integration of the process during execution and be involved with the laboratory, commissioning and training of the employees.

Work Underway on Access Roads

Construction of the access road leading to the plant site in Baie-Comeau, an extension of highway 389 currently under construction by the Quebec Government, should be completed by year end. The access to the site via this road segment is already possible and the services, such as water and sewer, are already in place.

Furthermore, Mason Graphite has awarded two contracts for the logging road (202) linking the Lac Guéret Project to highway 389: one for snow clearing and one for road maintenance. Work is underway. This will allow starting construction at the mine and campsite once permitting and financing are completed.

Project Advancement

The timing of the construction start will be mostly dictated by the timing of the decree from the Provincial Government, which is expected early 2018. The construction start will be possible shortly after as detailed engineering for the mine and the concentrator civil work is sufficiently advanced. Purchase orders for engineering of the processing equipment with long leads (such as grinding mills) have been placed with the suppliers.

While advancing with detailed engineering, Mason Graphite is following an owner’s built construction model. In parallel, the Company is also evaluating a potential Engineering, Procurement and Construction (‘’EPC’’) contract. In both models, the Company has full oversight and ownership of the Project.

Since the publication of the Feasibility Study results in 2015, improvements have been made to the design of the operations, such as: changes to the layout of the buildings at plant site to take advantage of geotechnical work performed in 2015 and 2016, re-location of the crusher from the mine to the plant and streamlining of the dry process. Several other aspects of the operations were optimized throughout the pre-execution work and detailed engineering.

Moreover, following consultation with the local communities, the Company has changed the tailings’ storage method from a submerged tailing pond to dry-stacking, which eliminates the risk of a dam breach. Over the life of the Project, dry stacking requires less total capital expenditures than a tailing pond. Sustaining capital expenditures will be lower (no dam walls to build) but the initial investment will be higher to account for the filtration plant and effluent treatment plant construction. Another advantage of dry stacking is the possibility to do progressive rehabilitation.

Considering all of the above, the advanced detailed engineering, the completed pre-execution works, the finalized negotiations with the main equipment manufacturers and costs inflation since 2015, the overall final construction capital expenditures should be about C$200M of which approximately C$25M was originally included in the sustaining capital expenditures. Consequently, these are reduced accordingly over the life of the project. This permutation has a marginal impact on the economics of the project.

Furthermore, the Company has been working with external technical partners to neutralize and transform those tailings into sellable products, which could have a meaningful impact on the economics of the project. Further information on this topic will be communicated later.

As of today, the Company’s cash position is more than $12M enabling it to continue the ongoing work.

Sustainable Development Partnership Renewed

The agreement with the Réserve de la Biosphère de Manicouagan-Uapishka ("RMBMU") has been renewed. Mason Graphite and the RMBMU have been working together since June 2015 and this partnership led to a very successful sustainable development, recently demonstrated by the Company’s nomination by the AEMQ (Association de l’exploration minière du Québec) for its excellence in sustainable development, and a strong support from local stakeholders. Yet, community relations and social acceptance is a continuous process and this new agreement with the RMBMU will ensure a continuity in local relations and allow the Company to remain proactive through the construction phase and during production.

Value-Added Products and Battery Materials Programs

The Company’s battery materials program is progressing well, having completed most of the processes related to micronization, purification, spheronization and coating aimed at two different battery grades. After working directly with equipment manufacturers in Japan, the spheronization process is generally exceeding Asian industry standards. The work done with the NRC on coating resulted in performances that are in line with the performance goals established by the Benchmarking Phase completed in 2015. Mason Graphite expects to be able to soon enter the Demonstration Phase during which the detailed engineering will be conducted and economics will be established on the basis of the procurement guidance from eventual customers.

Furthermore, Mason Graphite has entered into an agreement with the National Research Council of Canada ("NRC") to participate in LiBTec, a new initiative recently launched by the NRC aimed at developing and supporting the Canadian supply chain in value added graphite and lithium materials, specifically for lithium-ion battery applications. LiBTec will facilitate the integration of stakeholders in the supply chain, support the development of materials, and achieve the development of graphite-silicon anode materials aimed at increasing battery performance.
 

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