Volta Metals begins gallium recovery test work

Mr. Kerem Usenmez reports VOLTA INITIATES GALLIUM RECOVERY STUDY WITH LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY, SUDBURY, CANADA Volta Metals Ltd. has commenced laboratory-scale bioleaching recovery test work primarily targeting gallium and secondarily rare earth elements (REEs) at Dr. Vasu Appanna's laboratory of Biomine Research and Development at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ont. Laurentian University is a leading Canadian institution recognized for its applied research expertise in mining, mineral processing and Earth sciences. The principal objective of the test program is to evaluate the use of bacteria and other non-invasive reagents to extract gallium from Volta's Springer rare earth and gallium deposit in Sturgeon Falls, east of Sudbury, Ont. Dr. Appanna is a recognized expert in gallium recovery and bioleaching technologies. Bioleaching is an innovative, established metallurgical process that has been successfully applied at production scale in Chile's copper industry for the recovery of metals in a low-impact and sustainable manner. Codelco operates the Radomiro Tomic mine in Chile, where full-scale bioleaching of low-grade run-of-mine ore has been implemented, with technical support from BioSigma SA, a joint venture between Codelco and Nippon Mining and Metals. Bioleaching is also used at other major Chilean copper operations, including Escondida (owned by BHP, Rio Tinto and JECO), Spence (BHP) and Chuquicamata (Codelco). Initial tests completed at Laurentian University Volta has partnered with Dr. Appanna's laboratory to evaluate innovative technologies for the recovery of gallium (and REEs) from mineralized material from the Springer deposit using microbial and chemical leaching systems. The bio-enabled leaching platform integrates specialized microbial groups, environmentally friendly chemical media and specialized affinity columns designed for the selective recovery of gallium (and REEs). Volta submitted a small batch of Springer master mineral composites, representative of mineralization intersected to date, to Dr. Appanna's laboratory for initial chemical leaching tests targeting gallium (and REEs). These initial tests successfully liberated multiple critical elements into solution, including gallium, neodymium, samarium and heavy REEs such as gadolinium (Gd), dysprosium (Dy) and ytterbium (Y). Next phase: dual extraction pathways The next phase of laboratory-scale testing, currently under way, is designed to identify optimal chemical and microbial conditions to efficiently liberate gallium (and REEs) from the Springer deposit's mineralized material matrices. Results are expected in Q3 2026. Contingent on positive results, the test work will form the basis for subsequent bulk leach validation studies, advancing the process toward potential scale-up. This sustainable extraction approach is expected to further unlock Springer's potential by supporting the efficient, domestic supply of highly critical and strategic elements. Dr. Appanna Dr. Appanna is the former dean of the faculty of science and engineering at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ont. He has been at Laurentian since 1989 as a professor of biochemistry and served as the department chair for six years. He received his BSc from the University of Bombay, his MSc from the University of Wales and his PhD from the University of Waterloo. He has over 170 peer-reviewed publications in the fields of biotechnology, metabolism, cellular adaptation and toxicology. He supervised the first doctoral student at Laurentian University and over 185 highly qualified personnel (BSc, MSc, PhD, postdoctoral and research associates) throughout his career. Dr. Appanna has led various industry- and non-industry-financed projects globally. He is the editor of numerous journals and sits on various research organizations and boards. He has served on various granting agencies like the Department of Energy (United States) and the Ministry of Research and Innovation (Ontario). He has consulted worldwide on biotechnology and has commercialized a biomining process as well as a method to detect homocysteine, a marker for numerous diseases. About the Springer rare earth deposit The 2012 mineral resource estimate presented for the Springer rare earth project is historical in nature. Volta's qualified person has not completed sufficient work to confirm the results of the historical resource. Volta does not treat this as a current mineral resource but considers it relevant as a guide to future exploration and includes it for reference purposes only. The historical resource was estimated by Tetra Tech Wardrop in 2012. Gallium was not included in this initial mineral resource estimate. The block model and mineral resource for the Springer rare earth project are classified as having both indicated and inferred mineral resources based on the number of boreholes, borehole spacing and sample data populations used in the estimation of the blocks. The mineral resource estimate for the deposit, at a 0.9-per-cent total rare earth oxide (TREO) cut-off, is an indicated resource of 4.2 million tonnes at 1.14 per cent TREO and 0.02 per cent ThO2 (thorium dioxide), with approximately 6 per cent of the TREO being made up of heavy rare earth oxides (HREOs), and an inferred resource of 12.7 million tonnes at 1.17 per cent TREO and 0.01 per cent ThO2, with approximately 4 per cent of the TREO being made up of HREOs. The 2012 mineral resource, based on 22 diamond boreholes, was estimated by ordinary-kriging interpolation on uncapped grades for all 15 REOs and thorium dioxide. The TREO per cent is a sum of the 15 individual interpolations of the REOs. No recoveries have been applied to the interpolated estimates. The 2012 mineral resource estimate categories are not compliant with the current CIM (Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum) definition standards. No other resource estimates have been undertaken since the 2012 Tetra Tech Wardrop report. Volta is expected to finalize an updated mineral resource estimate this quarter based on the drilling completed by the company in 2025 following the acquisition of the project to verify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource. Qualified person The technical content of this press release, except for the "About the Springer rare earth deposit" section, has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Appanna, who is an independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The technical content in the "About the Springer rare earth deposit" section of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Julie Selway, PGeo, who is an independent qualified person as defined in NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The qualified person and the company have not completed sufficient work to verify the historical information on the Springer deposit, and it is considered historic, particularly regarding historical exploration and government geological work. About Volta Metals Ltd. Volta Metals is a mineral exploration company focused on rare earths, gallium, lithium, cesium and tantalum. It owns, has optioned and is currently exploring a critical minerals portfolio of rare earths, gallium, lithium, cesium and tantalum projects in Ontario, one of the world's most prolific and emerging hard-rock critical mineral districts. We seek Safe Harbor.