# First Atlantic Nickel & Cobalt Attends the Defense Industrial Base Accelerator \(DIBX\) 2026, Showcasing Awaruite \(Ni-Fe-Co Alloy\) Samples Processed with ONSHORE MAX™ Into an Alloy Concentrate Up to 71.9% Nickel and 1.76% Cobalt from the Pipestone XL Project: Addressing North America's Midstream Critical Mineral Processing Bottleneck Canonical Atlas analysis: https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/first-atlantic-nickel-cobalt-attends-the-defense-industrial-base-accelerator-dib--bd530fa4-46c6-4c36-83d8-234baf1b1fa3 Original source: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/25/3350281/0/en/first-atlantic-nickel-cobalt-attends-the-defense-industrial-base-accelerator-dibx-2026-showcasing-awaruite-ni-fe-co-alloy-samples-processed-with-onshore-max-into-an-alloy-concentra.html Publisher: globenewswire Original announcement: 2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z Analysis by Minestarters Atlas Atlas analysis published: Unknown date Atlas analysis updated: Unknown date - Company: First Atlantic Nickel & Cobalt Corp. - Ticker: FAN - Exchange: Unavailable - Region: Newfoundland and Labrador - Primary commodity: Nickel - Secondary commodities: Cobalt, Chromium - Document categories: Metallurgy - Extracted: 2026-08-25 10:34:08 UTC Narrative sentiment: 0.80 · Bullish ## Minestarters Atlas summary First Atlantic Nickel & Cobalt showcased its ONSHORE MAX™ process at the DIBX 2026 event, demonstrating the production of high-grade nickel-cobalt alloy concentrates from its Pipestone XL Project. The preliminary metallurgical results from SGS Canada show concentrates averaging 67.4% nickel, offering a smelter-free pathway to supply critical minerals for defense and EV sectors. Reasoning: The announcement details successful preliminary metallurgical test work producing high-grade nickel-cobalt alloy concentrates \(up to 71.9% Ni\) using a proprietary smelter-free process, which has significant strategic and economic implications for the North American supply chain. - Positive factor: High-grade alloy concentrate produced via magnetic separation and flotation - Positive factor: Smelter-free processing pathway bypasses midstream bottlenecks - Positive factor: Awaruite mineralogy is naturally metallic and magnetic - Positive factor: Strategic alignment with US defense and critical mineral policies - Negative factor: Preliminary metallurgical test work scale is limited Facts used in scoring: 5 ## Classification and evidence **Mill Route** Polarity: neutral Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\). Why it applies: The process uses magnetic separation and flotation, which are mill-based beneficiation steps. Evidence · text > can be concentrated at scale by magnetic separation and flotation **Bench Scale Only** Polarity: negative Definition: Only preliminary bench tests completed — no locked-cycle or pilot work. Why it applies: The results are described as preliminary metallurgical test work conducted by SGS. Evidence · text > Preliminary metallurgical test work at SGS Canada Inc. \(“SGS”\) produced four alloy concentrates ## Extracted facts Stored fact records: 5. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record. ## Metallurgical Results (5) ### magnetic separation and flotation [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/first-atlantic-nickel-cobalt-attends-the-defense-industrial-base-accelerator-dib--bd530fa4-46c6-4c36-83d8-234baf1b1fa3#fact-metallurgical-facts-0) nickel #### Identity - Commodity: nickel - Ticker: FAN #### Test Work - Program Status: preliminary - Test Type: magnetic separation and flotation - Processing Route: magnetic separation and flotation - Sample: ONSHORE MAX™ alloy concentrate from RPM Zone material #### Recovery - Head Grade: 67.4 - Head Grade Unit: % - Conc. Grade: 67.4 - Conc. Grade Unit: % #### Lab - Laboratory: SGS Canada Inc. #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: The average concentrate grade of 67.4% Ni is exceptionally high compared to conventional nickel concentrates. - Positive factor: High average grade of 67.4% Ni - Positive factor: Significantly higher than typical 10-15% Ni concentrates Evidence · text > produced four alloy concentrates from RPM Zone material, averaging 67.4% nickel ### magnetic separation and flotation [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/first-atlantic-nickel-cobalt-attends-the-defense-industrial-base-accelerator-dib--bd530fa4-46c6-4c36-83d8-234baf1b1fa3#fact-metallurgical-facts-1) nickel #### Identity - Commodity: nickel - Ticker: FAN #### Test Work - Program Status: preliminary - Test Type: magnetic separation and flotation - Processing Route: magnetic separation and flotation - Sample: ONSHORE MAX™ alloy concentrate from RPM Zone material \(high-grade end\) #### Recovery - Conc. Grade: 71.9 - Conc. Grade Unit: % #### Lab - Laboratory: SGS Canada Inc. #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: The peak grade reported is extremely high for a nickel concentrate. - Positive factor: Exceptional peak grade of 71.9% Ni Evidence · text > grading from 63.7% to 71.9% nickel ### magnetic separation and flotation [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/first-atlantic-nickel-cobalt-attends-the-defense-industrial-base-accelerator-dib--bd530fa4-46c6-4c36-83d8-234baf1b1fa3#fact-metallurgical-facts-2) cobalt #### Identity - Commodity: cobalt - Ticker: FAN #### Test Work - Program Status: preliminary - Test Type: magnetic separation and flotation - Processing Route: magnetic separation and flotation - Sample: ONSHORE MAX™ alloy concentrate from RPM Zone material #### Recovery - Conc. Grade: 1.76 - Conc. Grade Unit: % #### Lab - Laboratory: SGS Canada Inc. #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: The concentrate includes a meaningful cobalt grade of 1.76%. - Positive factor: Presence of cobalt as a significant byproduct in the alloy concentrate Evidence · text > with cobalt reaching 1.76% ### Fact 4 [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/first-atlantic-nickel-cobalt-attends-the-defense-industrial-base-accelerator-dib--bd530fa4-46c6-4c36-83d8-234baf1b1fa3#fact-metallurgical-facts-3) nickel #### Identity - Commodity: nickel - Ticker: FAN #### Test Work - Sample: Awaruite mineral phase from RPM Zone \(microprobe analysis\) #### Recovery - Head Grade: 77.62 - Head Grade Unit: % #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: Microprobe analysis confirms the high nickel content of the awaruite mineral phase itself. - Positive factor: Very high mineral-phase nickel content Evidence · text > confirmed that the awaruite mineral phase analyzed from the RPM Zone averages 77.62% nickel ### Fact 5 [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/first-atlantic-nickel-cobalt-attends-the-defense-industrial-base-accelerator-dib--bd530fa4-46c6-4c36-83d8-234baf1b1fa3#fact-metallurgical-facts-4) cobalt #### Identity - Commodity: cobalt - Ticker: FAN #### Test Work - Sample: Awaruite mineral phase from RPM Zone \(microprobe analysis\) #### Recovery - Head Grade: 1.69 - Head Grade Unit: % #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: Microprobe analysis confirms cobalt is present within the awaruite mineral phase. - Positive factor: Consistent cobalt presence in the mineral phase Evidence · text > averages 77.62% nickel and 1.69% cobalt ## How Atlas produces this analysis Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.