Mr. Steve Vanry reports

PACIFIC RIM COBALT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES PHASE 1 NICKEL/COBALT PROCESS RECOVERY PROGRAM

Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp. has provided final results from the recently completed detailed recovery process bench scale test program. The test program is being conducted by a extractive technology and mineral process development partner (Process Research ORTECH Inc. -- PRO) for the selection of a suitable process for recovery of nickel and cobalt from laterite material.

Results indicate:

• Strong leach recoveries;
• Production of high-quality nickel and cobalt solutions;
• Ability to produce high-purity nickel and cobalt products.

Critical results

• The solution quality of the nickel-bearing pregnant strip solution indicates an estimate of the nickel carbonate (NiCO3) product quality of over 99.9 per cent NiCO3 requiring only a single stage purification process.
• The solution quality of the cobalt pregnant strip solution indicates that an estimate of the cobalt carbonate (CoCO3) product quality is 98.2 per cent CoCO3.
• In the next stage of development, the company's partner, Process Research ORTECH Inc., is confident of improving CoCO3 purity to greater than 99.9 per cent.
• The aim of the program is to assess the amenability of the partner's proprietary mixed chloride leach and solvent extraction separation technology on laterite samples from the company's Cyclops project in Indonesia for the production of high-purity nickel and cobalt products and obtain design and operating data for the pilot plant testing phase.

"The company is very pleased with this latest round of results and look forward to continued progress. We are optimistic about the unique possibility of developing this project into an asset that will add shareholder value," remarked Ranjeet Sundher, president and chief executive officer of Pacific Rim Cobalt.

Samples were leached using the partner's proprietary mixed chloride technology, for example, the mixture of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2). Results of the leach tests showed that the mixed chloride leach technology was effective in the recovery of value elements, namely nickel, and cobalt from the three laterite samples tested.

Detailed leach testing was performed to optimize the recovery of nickel, cobalt and iron from representative samples of three laterite types:

• Limonite;
• Low iron transition;
• Saprolite.

The leach conditions were established for the three samples and the results indicate the recoveries in the attached table.

                               Recovery     

Sample              Ni (%) Co (%) Fe (%)

Limonite            99.26  98.82  97.77 
Low iron transition 99.75  97.03  99.22 
Saprolite           99.77  +99.9  99.74 

Follow-up detailed solvent extraction (SX) testing was performed to examine the separation of nickel, cobalt and iron from the leach solution produced from each sample. Pregnant strip solutions for nickel and cobalt were produced from the SX samples.

The preliminary design criteria for the leaching and solvent extraction process has now been established and this combined with other data obtained from the study will be used for subsequent pilot plant testing to be conducted in the next phase.

This phase of the program will involve the commissioning and operation of a pilot plant incorporating an integrated circuit to produce high-purity nickel and cobalt strip solutions in order to develop battery grade nickel and cobalt products that meet market specifications.

This plant will also provide operational data for development of capital expenditure and operating expenditure estimations for a demonstration plant and a produce enough nickel and cobalt-bearing product for independent evaluation by prospective battery industry purchasers.

The latest results are part of an integrated program being implemented by the company to develop a critical path for processing nickel and cobalt laterites. The development program consists of the following components:

• Evaluation of process technology;
• Process feasibility studies;
• Design, construction and operation of pilot plant;
• Design, construction and operation of demonstration scale plant.

Upcoming development includes the following.

Pilot plant

Location:  Canada

• Produce high-purity strip solutions suitable for production of nickel and cobalt MHP and nickel and cobalt sulphates;
• Establish design criteria for a demonstration plant;
• Produce nickel and cobalt products meeting market specifications;
• Ensure tailings and effluents meet environmental guidelines.

Demonstration plant

Location:  Indonesia

• Evaluation of technical and economic aspects of a commercial-scale plant;
• Demonstrate ability to produce a product within market specifications;
• Provide product for market evaluation;
• Establish security of long-term product supply through optimum plant availability;
• Establish design criteria for a commercial-scale plant.

National Instrument 43-101 disclosure

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Garry Clark, PGeo, independent director of Pacific Rim Cobalt and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp.

Pacific Rim Cobalt is a Canadian-based exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of production grade nickel and cobalt deposits, key raw material inputs for the growing lithium-ion battery industry.

We seek Safe Harbor.