American Lithium Corp. (TSX-V:LI) (OTCQX:AMLIF) (Frankfurt:5LA1) is pleased to report that the Falchani Lithium Project pilot-plant has all systems installed and operating. Recent laboratory testing has demonstrated an improvement in lithium recoveries. The pilot-plant, being advanced by TECMMINE in Lima, Peru, marks a key milestone toward derisking the Falchani project by validating the flowsheet at scale.

Highlights:

• The pilot-plant is fully installed with the various components presently being tested with operating systems performing as expected.
• Latest laboratory bench test work run using pilot plant equipment in a semi-continuous process achieved average lithium extraction of 88.7% (range: 88.0%–89.9%), well above the 80.0% recovery utilized in the February 2024 PEA. ⁽¹⁾
• With all flow sheet equipment now installed and tested, the Company is advancing toward full end-to-end flowsheet validation – at scale in a continuous mode, to validate the bench-scale results.
• The pilot-plant is expected to run continuously at target rates for 3+ months, processing 6–10 tonnes of Falchani mineralization.
• Pilot plant results will feed into the future project feasibility work.

Dr. Laurence Stefan, President and COO, commented: “The results from the key core processing stages have been very encouraging. The consistency we are seeing gives us strong confidence as we move rapidly toward full pilot plant operations. Every stage we bring online has added to our understanding of how this deposit will perform at scale, optimizing to build on the promising recent results.”

The Company initially prioritized commissioning the plant’s core systems and are all operational and performing as expected. The key core systems are — impurity removal, controlled cooling, pre-neutralization, neutralization, crystallization, centrifugal separation, and consumables’ reaction management — all now individually validated. Recent laboratory bench test work that used individual components of the pilot-plant in a semi-continuous flow sheet (mainly crystallizers and evaporator) delivered very consistent results. Lithium losses across the alum crystallization, pre-neutralization, neutralization, mechanical evaporation, and precipitation stages were reduced to fractions of a percent per phase, driving the 88.7% overall lithium recovery, which is above the PEA recovery rate noted above. ⁽¹⁾

Falchani’s volcanic-hosted lithium mineralization has naturally low impurities, supporting a simple flowsheet capable of producing battery-grade lithium carbonate exceeding 99.5% purity.

Figure 1: Partial View of the Pilot Plant. More Images Here

Qualified Person

Mr. Ted O’Connor, P.Geo., a Director of American Lithium, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About TECMMINE

TECMMINE E.I.R.L. is a Peruvian metallurgical consulting company based in Lima, Peru with mineral processing and metallurgical testing laboratory facilities and experienced metallurgical personnel led by Eng. Jose Malqui.

About American Lithium

American Lithium is developing two of the world’s largest, advanced-stage lithium projects, along with the largest undeveloped uranium project in Latin America. They include the TLC claystone lithium project in Nevada and the Falchani hard-rock lithium project in southern Peru, which also hosts a globally significant cesium resource, as well as the Macusani uranium project located in the same region. All three projects have completed robust preliminary economic assessments, exhibit significant expansion potential and enjoy strong community support.

For more information, please contact the Company at info@americanlithiumcorp.com or visit our website at www.americanlithiumcorp.com.