Québec Nickel Corp. announced results from the metallurgical test work program completed on Ni-Cu-PGE-rich drill core from the Fortin Sill Zone at its 100% owned Ducros Project near Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Québec. The objective of the scoping-level metallurgical program is to evaluate the amenability of the Fortin Sill Zone to produce saleable Critical Metals-bearing mineral concentrates. The metallurgical study was initiated in 2023 to follow-up on significant drilling results returned from the Fortin Sill Zone including 31.00 metres of 0.37% Ni, 0.40% Cu, 176 ppm Co and 0.55 g/t Pt-Pd-Au
in hole QDG-22-09, 43.39 metres of 0.24% Ni, 0.25% Cu, 146 ppm Co and 0.35 g/t Pt-Pd-Au in hole QDG-22-28 and 11.80 metres of 1.44% Ni, 1,49% Cu, 461 ppm Co and 2.79 g/t Pt-Pd-Au in hole QDG-22-29. During the first half of 2023, the Company completed several dedicated HQ-diameter drill holes at the Fortin Sill Zone that supplied fresh material for the test work program. The metallurgical holes were designed to twin previously completed holes and targeted three styles and grades of Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization including: Low grade disseminated and blebby sulphide mineralization with a target average grade of 0.30% nickel + copper; Moderate grade blebby to heavily disseminated mineralization with a target average grade of 0.75% nickel + copper; High-grade net texture to semi-massive mineralization with a target grade of greater than 1.50% nickel + copper. From the metallurgical drilling, three 50-kilogram samples of Ni-Cu-PGE mineralized drill core, each representing one of the styles and target grades of mineralization, were collected and delivered to SGS Canada's Québec City laboratory for the study. Summary of Metallurgical Study Results: Upon preparing a master composite sample from the three variability samples, the four samples were subjected to a metallurgical test program which included amongst other protocols, comminution, floatation and environmental test work. The Bond ball mill grindability test (i.e. comminution), which is used to estimate net power requirements for a potential mill grinding circuit, was performed on the master composite sample. Results from this test show the Fortin Sill Zone rocks are "moderately soft". The results from the floatation test work program demonstrate that the mineralized rocks at the
Fortin Sill Zone are amenable to producing two distinct mineral concentrates, namely a high-grade copper + gold + palladium concentrate and a moderate grade nickel + cobalt + platinum concentrate. Copper grades ranging from 28.0 to 29.3% Cu at recoveries ranging from 89.2% to 92.9% were achieved from the four samples. The nickel concentrate grades were relatively low at about 5% Ni for the four samples tested. Nickel recoveries improved significantly from the batch tests and ranged from a low of 48.2% in the low-grade sample to 77.5% in the high-grade sample.
A subsample of the combined tailings from the four locked cycle tests was submitted for basic environmental characterization including leachable metals and acid base accounting (ABA). Environmental characterization of the combined tails did not identify any notable leachable metals
but found the sample to be possibly acid generating.