2011-09-21

Rock Tech Produces Lithium Carbonate with 99.988% Purity

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, September 21, 2011 Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSX-Venture: RCK; Frankfurt: RJIA; Pink Sheets: RCKTF) (the “Company” or “Rock Tech”) is pleased to announce that it has further improved the quality of its metallurgical sample and achieved purity of 99.988% lithium carbonate (“Li2CO3”) on the bulk sample taken from the Company’s 100% owned Georgia Lake project in the Thunder Bay Mining District of northwestern Ontario. Preliminary results of the metallurgical testing, announced June 27, 2011, produced a sample of 99.96% Li2CO3.

A standard hydrometallurgical flow sheet was used which included concentrate leach, primary impurity removal, secondary impurity removal, ion exchange, lithium carbonate precipitation and bicarbonate polishing. The key findings related to this six-stage processing can be found in the detailed report posted on the Company’s website (www.rocktechlithium.com).

The main objective of the test program was to determine if a high-grade lithium carbonate sample could be produced from the three concentrate samples generated through heavy liquid separation (HLS) and floatation. The first attempt produced a Li2CO3 product with a purity of 99.963%. After processing the sample through the bicarbonate polishing step, a Li2CO3 product with a purity of 99.988% was produced. Though specification for lithium carbonate purity varies among battery manufacturers, purity must meet or exceed a 99.5% threshold.

The samples were processed at SGS Lakefield Mineral Services, under the supervision of senior metallurgists Massoud Aghamirian, Ph.D., and Stephen Mackie, Ph.D.

Company President and CEO, Eunho Lee, commented, “We are very pleased with the results of the hydrometallurgical study carried out in cooperation with SGS Lakefield. The study clearly demonstrates that a high-quality, battery-grade lithium carbonate product can be produced from the lithium-bearing pegmatites found at Rock Tech’s Georgia Lake project.”

In addition to the hydrometallurgical results, the Company is also pleased to provide the results of the remaining 22 drill holes from the 2010/2011 winter exploration program that entailed nearly 8,000 metres of diamond drilling at the Nama Creek and Conway claim blocks.

Highlights of the drill results are as follows (the true thickness of the drill intersection may be less than the reported intervals) and is consistent with historical drill results:

  • Drill Hole NC11-14 – intersected 10.55m at 1.22% lithium oxide (Li2O), 458 ppm beryllium oxide (BeO) and 854 ppm rubidium oxide (Rb2O); plus four smaller intersections, 1 to 3m wide with 0.35% to 1.14% Li2O and anomalous values of other rare metals.
  • Drill Hole NS11-01 – intersected 12.75m at 0.9% Li2O, 450 ppm BeO and 790 ppm Rb2O; a second intersection includes 2.25m at 1.0% Li2O, 341 ppm BeO, 116 ppm niobium oxide (Nb2O5) and 1,329 ppm Rb2O.
  • Drill Hole NS11-02 – intersected 4.12m at 1.37% Li2O, 459 ppm BeO and 993 ppm Rb2O; a second intersection includes 4.45m at 1.20% Li2O, 442 ppm BeO and 768 ppm Rb2O.
  • Drill Hole PL11-01 – intersected 6.29m at 2.0% Li2O, 400 ppm BeO, 111ppm Nb2O5 and 563 ppm Rb2O.
  • Drill Hole CW11-09 – intersected 10.25 m at 0.9% Li2O, 315 ppm BeO and 1,029 ppm Rb2O.
  • Drill Hole NC11-07 – intersected 6.70 m at 1.39% Li2O, 423 ppm BeO and 988 ppm Rb2O.

The results are summarized in the following table (the true thickness of the drill intersection may be less than the reported intervals):

Drill Hole
ID
Claim
Block/Dyke
From
metres
To
metres
Width
metres
Li2O
%
BeO
ppm
Cs2O
ppm
Nb2O5
ppm
Ta2O5
ppm
Rb2O
ppm
PL11-01 Parole Lake Dyke 198.47 204.76 6.29 2.00 400 18 111 39 563
PL11-02 Parole Lake Dyke 149.25 154.00 4.75 1.40 >461 >26 >108 >57 >746
HW11-05 Nama Creek West Dyke 44.40 49.23 4.83 1.20 435 63 42 45 843
123.54 126.13 2.59 0.85 362 53 31 17 718
HW11-06 Nama Creek West Dyke 36.54 41.68 5.14 1.23 471 52 32 29 831
134.45 136.70 2.25 1.03 387 45 27 18 792
NS11-01 Nama Creek South Dyke 85.88 88.13 2.25 1.00 341 77 116 191 1329
179.80 192.55 12.75 0.90 450 49 44 35 790
NS11-02 Nama Creek South Dyke 67.85 71.97 4.12 1.37 459 56 71 67 993
81.53 85.98 4.45 1.20 442 84 84 58 768
NS11-03 Nama Creek South Dyke 98.86 100.46 1.60 0.94 404 55 79 69 1175
101.46 104.46 3.00 1.03 419 47 31 18 848
116.02 118.02 2.00 1.29 489 40 75 39 664
NS11-04 Nama Creek South Dyke 94.85 98.52 3.67 0.82 281 55 53 43 616
108.15 109.05 0.90 0.52 353 32 94 141 616
207.50 209.50 2.00 0.50 513 36 37 22 551
CW11-05 Conway Main Dyke 122.42 128.05 5.63 1.00 414 53 41 30 998
132.68 133.68 1.00 0.63 278 56 42 42 1121
CW11-07 Conway Main Dyke 92.69 94.69 2.00 0.54 232 58 22 17 1313
127.41 132.41 5.00 0.73 316 61 41 36 1111
CW11-08 Conway Main Dyke 162.80 167.80 5.00 1.15 345 53 29 20 1145
169.80 170.60 0.80 1.16 347 49 27 18 936
CW11-09 Conway Main Dyke 96.60 106.85 10.25 0.90 315 63 28 18 1029
CW11-10 Conway Main Dyke 66.00 70.00 4.00 0.66 376 68 48 38 1008
CW11-11 Conway Main Dyke 130.50 132.50 2.00 0.75 401 64 51 33 1015
CW11-12 Conway Main Dyke 63.65 65.88 2.23 1.19 498 71 39 33 875
CW11-13 Conway Main Dyke 53.77 54.56 0.79 0.73 266 60 38 32 741
NC11-06 Nama Creek North Dyke 72.87 75.29 2.42 0.20 117 321 28 27 693
78.51 81.24 2.73 0.94 368 269 49 41 1015
84.70 86.50 1.80 0.46 315 126 57 67 608
91.58 97.84 6.26 0.37 145 310 33 32 945
104.00 105.51 1.51 0.69 225 219 48 50 607
123.94 126.10 2.16 1.83 494 56 70 63 714
127.69 129.94 2.25 1.58 477 51 49 32 872
NC11-07 Nama Creek North Dyke 81.77 82.86 1.09 0.52 521 54 67 56 599
96.20 97.03 0.83 0.71 350 48 56 53 626
112.45 119.15 6.70 1.39 423 61 60 46 988
NC11-11 Nama Creek North Dyke 121.80 129.58 7.78 0.94 516 51 68 62 830
153.70 154.25 0.55 0.59 461 58 60 57 922
NC11-12 Nama Creek North Dyke 110.38 112.23 1.85 0.75 408 64 72 71 1007
116.49 117.35 0.86 0.85 419 61 79 88 803
157.14 159.22 2.08 0.96 392 179 75 86 1137
NC11-13 Nama Creek North Dyke 2.54 3.15 0.61 1.09 486 96 127 190 1308
47.13 48.97 1.84 1.14 456 53 81 54 898
51.55 53.55 2.00 1.08 351 50 50 34 784
55.30 56.07 0.77 0.02 686 81 155 430 829
NC11-14 Nama Creek North Dyke 128.00 131.00 3.00 0.87 359 86 53 33 775
132.29 133.29 1.00 1.14 292 53 60 79 843
134.18 136.34 2.16 0.35 194 331 55 88 819
152.95 154.50 1.55 0.77 392 40 45 49 450
224.10 234.65 10.55 1.22 458 53 39 31 854

Li2O = lithium oxide; BeO = beryllium oxide; Cs2O = cesium oxide; Nb2O5 = niobium oxide; Ta2O5 = tantalum oxide; Rb2O = rubidium oxide

Technical information of this news release has been reviewed by Afzaal Pirzada, P.Geo., VP of Exploration, a Qualified Person as defined in NI43-101.

In the coming weeks, the Company will release its initial NI43-101 resource estimates for the Nama Creek and Conway claim blocks and its plans for the second phase of its drill program at Georgia Lake.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

“Eunho Lee”
Eunho Lee
Director, President and CEO

For more information, please contact:

Brad Barnett
Controller and Senior Manager, Business Affairs
Rock Tech Lithium Inc.
789 West Pender Street, Suite 1205
Vancouver, B.C., V6C 1H2
Telephone: (604) 688-1140
Facsimile: (604) 688-1173
Email: info@rocktechlithium.com

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All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release relative to markets about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “seek”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect” and “intend” and statements that an event or result “may”, “will”, “should”, “could” or “might” occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements even if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.