“We’ve been in the area since 1994,” said Ray Paquette of the Canadian Mining Company (TSX.V- CNG), who control the Sunday Creek zeolite deposit west of Princeton.
Paquette said the company is in the process of securing drill permits for the deposit as application to extract a 10,000 ton bulk sample is also underway.
“The first phase of our program is to produce enough zeolite to satisfy local markets,” Paquette said of the company’s business plan. Pa quette intends to produce zeolite that can be cut into fertilizers at a rate of 10 per cent, to be used as a soil amendment. Zeolites can also be used to control odours in fertilizers as well.
Paquette sees the wine industry and other agriculture industries as local customers who will benefit from the product.
“There are markets in Kelowna, Penticton, Osoyoos, Keremeos, and Abbotsford,” Paquette said, “many of whom have a need to control odours because of their proximity to urban areas. We can supply zeolites F.O.B. our quarry site for $45 per tonne.”
Paquette intends to concentrate on local agricultural markets initially, as milling of the product isn’t initially necessary.
“It’s our immediate goal to ship locally, supplying the local bio solids market,” Paquette said, “we have also spoken with local trucking firms who are looking for backhaul loads. Transportation costs are killing everyone - there is a strong local market accessible from our quarry site - and we can supply it at an affordable price.”
Future plans could include construction of a four million dollar mill in Princeton that would enable CMC to produce zeolites for other markets that require particle sizing.
Technical properties of zeolite
The Canadian Mining Company has staked several zeolite properties west of Princeton in the Sunday summit area of the Hope-Princeton highway.
The properties, known as The Sun Group Zeolite Project is located close to the highway and has been prospected to the point where a large zeolite resource has been identified - 46,600,000 metric tonnes at a high cut of CEC (Cation Exchange Property).
Zeolites are natural inorganic, non-toxic porous volcanic minerals with a highly regular structure of pores and chambers that allow for molecular sieving, absorption, ion exchange, dehydration and rehydration of physical and chemical properties.
Zeolites are composed primarily of potassium, calcium, sodium and aluminosilicate. These elements are arranged within the mineral in a “honeycomb” structure.
Zeolites have a high CEC - studies indicate 10 to 12 times that of an equal volume of sphagnum peat.
The surface area available for absorption of a half pound of elina is approximately the area of a football field. Zeolites are used in many applications including;
• Turf and Soil Enhancement
• Soil Remediation
• Golf Course Turfgrass Maintenance
• Oil Absorption
• Aquaculture and Pond Filtration
• Removal of Heavy Metals
• Treatment of Radioactive Ions
• Animal Feed Supplements
• Odour Management Control
• Sra.ll Maintenance (odour/moisture)
• Spotts Field and Parks Amendment
• Effluent Treatment
• Water and Air Filtration
• Flood Relief Control (moisture/mildew)
• Organic Composting
• Animal Manure Treatment
Zeolites can also be used to improve turf development, whether sodding, seeding, or top-dressing.
Zeolites reduce “nutrient leaching” from the soil, improve plant shoot growth rate as well as improving the growth of greens, with less water consumption.
In the livestock industry, zeolites can be used to eliminate odour and moisture around livestock, without side effects.
Zeolites won’t burn, dry or crack animal hooves, it keeps animal stalls drier and is non-hazardous and non-toxic.
New uses for zeolites are being found every month.
For more information, contact Ron Schneider at:
250-499-2882, or by email at: heartachers@nethop.net