• Pivot Pharmaceuticals developing disruptive formulations for cannabis-infused markets
• Company’s goal is to strengthen dosage predictability and improve product stability
• Recent acquisitions and planned acquisitions give Pivot vertical position in multi-billion-dollar industries

Despite recent setbacks to efforts seeking broader marijuana legalization in North America (http://ibn.fm/P14jj), the tide of social preferences for cannabis availability, even in recreational applications, continues to advance (http://ibn.fm/Q1YLp). Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: PVOT) (OTCQB: PVOTF) (FRA: NPAT) is helping to advance efforts to legitimize the drug’s use, both in medicinal and recreational settings, by pursuing ever-increasing methods for consuming cannabis’s derivatives in quantities with predictable outcomes.

“Pivot’s goal is to increase cannabinoid bioavailability, drug release rates and improve product stability, and consumers should be able to confidently take correct and accurate doses to help meet their health and wellness needs,” Joseph Borovsky, Pivot’s vice president of product formulation, stated in a recent news release (http://ibn.fm/pjRuj).

The company has filed continuation patents to maintain its impetus in making cannabis available through powdered formulations that can be combined with existing products in the food and beverage market. That includes health and wellness products such as natural sleep-aids, cold medications and vitamins.

On March 6, Pivot Pharmaceuticals announced its acquisition of Thrudermic, LLC, a North Carolina company invested in a transdermal lipid-based nano-dispersion technology to make cannabis formulations available through external delivery. Thrudermic has filed three new patent applications for Pivot related to better formulation and delivery of its product as the company pursues new routes of drug administration.

Pivot’s acquisition of California’s ERS Holdings, LLC in February not only strengthened its options for enhanced health and wellness products; the move gave the company added visibility to beverage makers such as beer companies working to mitigate a potential decline in profits as their customers divert discretionary income from alcohol consumption to cannabis consumption.

“The (Ready-To-Infuse-Cannabis technology) family of patents will be transformational for the food and beverage industry. Based on our interaction with key players in the beverage market, we anticipate that there will be a significant substitution in consumer choices towards cannabis infused drinks. With this acquisition, we have positioned Pivot to be at the forefront of this enormous new market,” Pivot CEO Patrick Frankham stated in a news release about the acquisition (http://ibn.fm/ycJTq).

The company has also announced plans to acquire Agro-Biotech, a Quebec-based Canadian-licensed cannabis producer (http://ibn.fm/mrER1). Agro-Biotech operates a licensed hydroponic cannabis production facility that can turn out 10,000 kilograms per year, giving Pivot a source for its products as it strives to achieve a stronger vertical position in the industry for cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

An agreement between Pivot and Germany’s Solmic Research GmbH gave the company rights to technology designed to give cancer patients relief from vomiting, nausea, neutropenia and anemia during chemotherapy treatment. Those side effects trouble an estimated 70 to 80 percent of chemotherapy patients and often lead to the discontinuation of treatment before the illness has been completely addressed, according to Transparency Market Research (http://ibn.fm/Ed8aD). Cannabis’s therapeutic abilities are expected to help it grow into a $55.8 billion market by 2025, according to a 2017 report by Grand View Research (http://ibn.fm/DZA8A), and the cancer supportive care products market is expected to reach $29.87 billion by 2021.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PivotPharma.com

• Developing pain relievers that mimic body’s natural pain relief peptides
• Other programs include development of treatments for diabetes, synthetization of blue scorpion venom and study of a novel cannabinoid delivery platform
• Revenues from international licensing strategy

The discovery of endomorphins in 1997 was a remarkable reminder of the human body’s wondrous nature. Endomorphins are naturally produced morphine-like substances with an affinity for the µ-opioid receptors in the brain, which fortunately happen to be the best places to alleviate pain. With a potency that far exceeds morphine, these endogenous substances are the body’s first line of defense against pain and stress. Since their discovery, efforts to replicate them in the lab have been underway, and a number of those initiatives are now bearing fruit in R&D establishments. A signal example is the biotechnology developed by Dr. Harry Parekh, which provides a drug development platform for PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H). Using it, the health sciences company plans to develop endomorphin analogs which, unlike opioids, aren’t addictive and don’t trigger the respiratory depression that all too often causes fatal overdosing.

The development of this new class of pain relieving drugs could usher in an era of more temperate painkillers. Opioids are effective in reducing pain, but their use is blighted by possibilities of sinister side effects. Since they delay the functioning of the body’s respiratory apparatus, the peril of fatal overdose is ever-present. In addition, their efficacy diminishes over time as the body develops resistance to their action, and, thus, larger doses are required for relief. Unfortunately, bigger doses can kill. However, peptide-based pain relievers are devoid of these defects and so offer safer regimens of pain management to patients. Moreover, by employing them as rehab tools to ease the pangs of withdrawal, a lifeline might be thrown to those addicted to opioids.

The linker technology that underlies PreveCeutical’s drug development platform was developed at the University of Queensland in Australia. At that impressive institution, Dr. Parekh headed a team that developed synthetic molecules capable of mimicking the endomorphins produced by the body for pain relief, as explained by PreveCeutical chairman and CEO Stephen Van Deventer in a recent video interview (http://ibn.fm/PLtRQ). Although they are as potent as morphine, the effect of these endomorphins is transitory, since they metabolize in seconds. However, Dr. Parekh’s linker technology stabilizes those molecules, allowing them to be used as drugs while maintaining and enhancing their efficacy.

As a result, a number of lead candidates are in the pipeline, since the technology offers an opportunity not just to develop anodynes but also to expand the range of drug delivery methods beyond injection to oral ingestion, for example. Notably, pain management regimens are safer, because the substances aren’t addictive and the body doesn’t develop a tolerance to them. To explore the potential of the technology further, a two-year program has been launched to discover more peptides, expand the library of these peptides and launch pre-clinical trials.

In addition to the development of safer pain reliever, PreveCeutical has three other major programs underway. The first involves the infusion of cannabinoids into a soluble gel. This Sol-gel technology, also a brainchild of Dr. Parekh, was developed at the University of Queensland, which has agreed to license it to PreveCeutical. However, while the Sol-gel technology belongs to the University, its application to infusion of cannabinoids is covered by IP owned by PreveCeutical. A second program is exploring ways to synthesize blue scorpion venom, already used as a biomarker or “tumor paint” in surgery. A third is a four-year program designed to explore how these gene therapies may be used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. An editorial and companion audio press release featuring PreveCeutical’s focus on gene therapies is now available on NetworkNewsWire (http://ibn.fm/BoON0).

PreveCeutical has appointed Dr. Maher Khaled as director of international operations. Khaled will lead PreveCeutical’s commercialization efforts for its growing portfolio of intellectual property (http://ibn.fm/ugN2S). For many years an investment manager with the Enterprise Seed Funds of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, Khaled has been successfully commercializing therapeutic and diagnostic technologies for over a decade.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PreveCeutical.com

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• Global Reserve Platform offers ‘Banking-in-a-Box’ web-based technology
• Capability to provide a wide range of financial product solutions
• Strategic focus on freight forwarding and shipping

In the 16th century, the Belgian city of Antwerp, enthused by the entrepreneurial spirit of its burghers, became ‘the center of the entire international economy’. That innovative force made the city the diamond capital of the globe and the location of the world’s oldest stock exchange building, which is in operation to this day. The port of Antwerp, one of the largest in the world, is testing a blockchain system designed to make the handling of containers more efficient and secure. Developments like these herald the ‘rise of the smart port’, according to one commentator (http://ibn.fm/xTfsB), for it shows the immense potential of fintech and blockchain to streamline the multitude of processes involved in shipping freight. Reducing the frictions encountered in logistics, shipping and freight forwarding is a major goal of Global Payout Inc. (OTC: GOHE), as well. The company has established a division to provide fintech services to underserved supply chain entities. Through it, Global Payout offers freight forwarders, government contractors, motor carriers, customs brokers, and third party logistic providers online access to funds for working capital.

Global Payout has already made its mark in the fintech industry. Its menu of offerings ranges over a variety of state-of-the-art software solutions aimed at companies involved in processing money remittances, wire transfers, bill payments, business-to-business payments, currency exchange, e-wallet payments and other types of financial transactions. Fortified by a collaboration with First American Electronic Payment Solutions, Inc., the company was able to introduce a customizable, ‘banking-in-a-box’ web-based platform. Its Global Reserve Platform (“GRP”) offers the capability to execute the front-to-back office processing requirements of domestic, foreign exchange and international payment service providers and is expected to improve workflow, operational efficiencies and global financial management for enterprises operating across the globe.

Recently, Global Payout published details of a joint venture agreement between its majority-owned subsidiary, MoneyTrac Technology, Inc. (“MTRAC”), and GreenBox POS, LLC (“GBOX”) (http://ibn.fm/55o2A). GBOX is a technology company that builds end-to-end suites of financial products that can benefit almost any industry. Churning out a string of innovations, the software developer has been awarded five provisional patents for its technologies. The company has the capability to modify existing point-of-sale systems and is presently offering custom-built blockchain kiosk machines. Under the terms of the agreement, MoneyTrac will provide sales and marketing support to GBOX.

MoneyTrac has been cutting other deals, too. Last year, it signed an agreement with H Smart Inc. under which H Smart Inc. will use MTRAC’s financial technology platform. H Smart, a division of Marijuana Company of America (OTC: MCOA), is a developer and distributor of innovative wellness and cannabidiol products. The technology available on MTRAC’s platform, employing software developed and provided by MTRAC, will allow H Smart to pay commissions to its affiliates (http://ibn.fm/qVMv4).

As Global Payout expands its network of business partners, its revenue streams multiply. The company continues to explore avenues through which its payment and transaction processing systems may reduce costs and improve client satisfaction, such as freight forwarding and shipping. Shipping a container typically involves over 20 different parties and over 100 different transactions. Since many of these interactions are carried out by email, phone and fax, paperwork accounts for a substantial part of container transport costs. However, blockchain solutions like those being developed by Global Payout could limit intermediary involvement and thus substantially reduce transaction costs.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.GlobalPayout.com

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• Diversified marine transport and offshore services company and an international merchant of petroleum products
• Focused primarily on unexplored, proven oil reserves in Mediterranean and West Africa
• Global oil and gas industry needs to invest more than $20 trillion over next 25 years to meet forecast growth in demand
• Petrogress aggressively expanding to capitalize on opportunities

No one ever gives thought to the journey petroleum must take to fill a vehicle with gasoline. Often produced in far-flung corners of the globe, petroleum products require a major delivery system and corresponding infrastructure to reach their final destinations. Playing an integral role in the worldwide distribution of oil products, Petrogress, Inc. (OTC: PGAS), a diversified marine transport and offshore services company, is on a path of expansion at what appears to be an incredibly opportune time.

To meet expected growth in demand and offset the natural decline in developed fields, the global oil and gas industry needs to invest more than $20 trillion over the next 25 years, according to Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser (http://ibn.fm/EY3Nn). Speaking at the CERAWeek Energy Conference in Houston, he also affirmed his confidence that oil market fundamentals and future demand growth would be healthy, despite significant oil price volatility and forecasts of rising shale oil production.

With expanding oil service operations in West Africa and the Mediterranean, Petrogress is in the thick of the action. The company owns and operates a fleet of tankers and is an international merchant of petroleum products. Petrogress primarily operates through its three subsidiaries:

• Petrogres Co. Ltd., an international supplier and trader of petroleum products operating in West Africa, the Mediterranean, and other regions;
• Petronav Carriers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary that operates an in-house fleet of crude oil carriers in West Africa; and
• Petrogress Oil & Gas Energy, Inc., formed to capitalize on the expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) market.

Petrogress recently announced the further expansion of its African footprint by way of deals with Nigeria-based A&E Petroleum Co. Limited (http://ibn.fm/Hi0i3). The partnership with A&E Petroleum expands the company’s operations into Nigeria, Africa’s largest producer of oil and the sixth-largest oil producing country in the world. The deal is expected to generate enhanced revenue opportunities and strengthen the company’s international reach.

Petrogress is rapidly expanding operations in one of the last remaining regions on the planet with proven reserves in which oil and gas exploration hasn’t kept pace with the rest of the world. When considered alongside the previously noted $20 trillion suggested investment in the global oil industry, Petrogress’ expanded operations could position the company for an incredibly bright future.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PetrogressInc.com

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• Artificial intelligence sector forecast to grow to almost $90 billion by 2025
• ATIXF’s CapitalCube provides powerful AI-based equity research platform
• Integration of ATIXF’s MarketWall with Intesa Sanpaolo will provide exposure to eight million stock trading clients in six countries

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) has been a big talking point for a few years now, but this has not yet translated into any substantial investment in the technology. This may be about to change in 2018, with Tractica forecasting that annual global AI revenue will grow to almost $90 billion by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/jop82). Analysts predict that AI is poised to break through in 2018, although, to date, few companies beyond the tech sector have adopted it to any appreciable extent. AnalytixInsight Inc. (TSX.V: ALY) (OTCQB: ATIXF) is a notable AI company that has made significant strides in this sector over the last few months.

The company has developed a proprietary machine learning technology that analyzes big data using algorithms and turns it into actionable information. AnalytixInsight’s technology is scalable and can be applied in virtually any data-driven industry, including communications, health care, finance, sports, insurance and government. The company entered the financial market with the launch of its flagship product, CapitalCube.com. This is a portal which provides comprehensive research, portfolio evaluation and screening tools for companies involved in 50,000 global equities and North American ETFs.

CapitalCube’s powerful online portal provides in-depth analysis, performance evaluations, accounting and earnings reports. It also provides AI-supported information on likely dividend changes, share buybacks and acquisitions. The platform’s robo-advisor offers the potential to empower investors to maintain a desired risk profile while matching risk to ideal ETF exposure. CapitalCube allows free access to basic financial information and provides subscription-based access to in-depth analysis and predictive analytics at $25 per month, as well as customized peer analysis at $300 per month. It also publishes 3,000 articles daily, with content partners including The Wall Street Journal, Thomson Reuters, Yahoo Finance, Euronext NV and Africa Investor.

A fintech subsidiary of AnalytixInsight, MarketWall, develops integrated software solutions for smart devices, including PCs, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and smart wearable mobile devices. Italy’s largest retail bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, has joint ownership in MarketWall. The bank has a market cap of almost 51 billion euros and has more than 4,000 branches.

AnalytixInsight plans to integrate MarketWall with Intesa Sanpaolo during 2018, which will be available in six countries and provide the company with exposure to the bank’s eight million stock-trading clients. This initiative will embed the CapitalCube platform, providing user access to real-time trading information. The mobile stock trading application will also interface with Intesa Sanpaolo’s established trading platform, MarketHub. In partnership, the MarketWall app will also be preloaded on mobile devices in certain European countries.

AnalytixInsight is currently evaluating and developing a series of blockchain technology initiatives to complement its AI platform for big data analytics. The company envisages the use of distributed ledger technology to result in reduced transaction costs and settlement times.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.AnalytixInsight.com

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• Patented UST process produces highly stable, clean and cost-effective nanoemulsions
• Technology can be applied across many industries, including pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, industrial lubricant, paint and cosmetic sectors
• UST technology aligns with consumer demand for chemical- and preservative-free products

The demand for nanoemulsions is growing at a fast pace, with potential applications in many industry sectors, including food, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics and industrial lubricants. Up to now, one of the major problems with nanoemulsions has been their instability. This instability compromises the bioavailability and absorption of active ingredients for product preparation and the shelf life of the product. Life sciences company Pressure BioSciences Inc. (OTCQB: PBIO) is positioned to change this landscape via a patented novel technique called Ultra Shear Technology (“UST”). This technology uses intense shear forces generated by high-pressure valve discharge, which can help produce nanoemulsions that exhibit significantly improved absorption, greater stability and increased bioavailability compared to traditional micro and macro-emulsions.

Emulsions are mixtures of two liquids which are largely immiscible without the aid of emulsifying chemicals, such as surfactants. Surfactants assist in the dispersion of one liquid within the other, where it exists as tiny droplets. The smaller the droplet size for any given volume of dispersed liquid, the greater the absorption and bioavailability of active compounds. Nanoemulsions produce dispersed droplets with exceptionally small diameters, measured in nanometers.

To date, cost-effective, highly stable nanoemulsions made with minimal or no surfactants have been difficult to produce. Pressure BioSciences’ UST enables manufacturers to produce nanoemulsions at industrial scale levels that virtually exclude the use of surfactants, leading to safer and more effective oral delivery of food and medical products. This is a big deal in today’s world, where consumers across the globe are focusing more on wellbeing and demanding food that is appealing, tastes good, is free of chemicals and is safe to eat. Nanoemulsions produced using UST facilitate the production of food products with enhanced shelf lives and without the need for chemicals or preservatives. This groundbreaking technology will also increase product quality and shelf life in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic sectors.

In October 2017, Pressure BioSciences concluded a strategic collaboration agreement with Phasex Corporation that will allow for the production of stable, water-soluble nanoemulsions that are expected to significantly improve drug and active ingredient delivery in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cannabis oil industries. Aqueous nanoemulsions have the potential to increase the absorption and bioavailability of water-insoluble compounds like vitamin A, vitamin C and cannabinoids such as CBD. Phasex’s expertise lies in supercritical fluid (“SCF”) extraction processes that can be used for the manufacture of an extensive range of fine chemicals, polymers and natural extracts for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulations. SCF technology enables solvent-free extraction of active ingredients, which substantially enhances the quality of nanoemulsions.

Although the UST platform offers very exciting opportunities for future growth, Pressure BioSciences is not dependent on its novel UST platform for its future success. To that point, the company has been showing solid growth over the past several years in its’ primary product line, which is based on its innovative, patented, enabling platform called Pressure Cycling Technology (“PCT”). This technology uses cycles of hydrostatic pressure from ambient to ultra-high pressure levels to control bio-molecular interactions. It can be applied in several emerging life science areas, including:

• Sample preparation for genomic, proteomic and small molecule studies
• Control of biochemical reactions
• Protein purification
• Pathogen inactivation
• Immunodiagnostics

Patents for this technology have been issued to PBIO from many countries around the world, including China, Japan, multiple European countries, Canada, and the U.S. To date, the company has installed almost 300 PCT systems in more than 150 pharmaceutical, academic, biotechnological and government laboratories worldwide. Primary applications for the technology are in biomarker discovery, forensics, pathology and agriculture. The company has reported annual revenue of greater than $2 million, even though it has had but one sales person and one PCT instrument to sell. Recently, however, the company added four additional sales reps and has announced plans to release up to four additional instruments in 2018. These changes have set the company up for what could be significant future growth and an excellent return on investment for shareholders.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PressureBioSciences.com

• Company returning to its roots in financial consulting, corporate brand building and educational services for cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin
• CIIX has daily video from NYSE targeted at its global Chinese-speaking investment community titled ‘Bitcoin MultiMillionaire’ and hosts a bitcoin ATM in the lobby of its San Gabriel, California, headquarters
• Company is urging its shareholders to convert stock, on a four-for-one basis, for a share in the new, private company that includes hemp assets CBD Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Hemp Logic, Inc. and com, Inc.

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) will return to its roots as a financial consultant and a specialist in cryptocurrency, especially bitcoin, as it spins off its hemp assets into a private company. In a news release (http://ibn.fm/4f1zF), Paul Dickman, CFO of CIIX, said, “This is a great time to spin off CIIX’s CBD focused assets as we continue to explore new ways to expand its core financial services business, including its recent move into the cryptocurrency and blockchain technology industry.”

CIIX has in the past succeeded as a diverse company with multiple-focuses, but, with this spinoff, it can now concentrate on its core skills in brand building for startups and financial marketing for its clients.

The San Gabriel, California-based company specializes in financial education and marketing for the global Chinese-speaking investment community. It has an interest in the growth of cryptocurrency with a daily video newscast from the NYSE daily titled ‘Bitcoin MultiMillionaire’ and hosts a bitcoin ATM in the lobby of its San Gabriel, California, headquarters.

Following the planned spinoff, CIIX intends to focus on those interests while giving its shareholders a special dividend. They may exchange four shares of CIIX common for one share in the new company, which consists of CIIX’s hemp-related assets. These include wholly owned foreign enterprise CBD Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and U.S.-based wholly owned subsidiaries Hemp Logic, Inc. and ChineseHempOil.com, Inc.

The four-for-one exchange of shares will be made effective on May 31, 2018, the date of the spinoff. The new company will initially be private, but CIIX has announced plans to bring the new company into the public market in the 12-18 months that follow (http://ibn.fm/Oqmxa).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com

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• Agreement with Checkout will significantly strengthen the company’s product distribution network
• Human trials launched evaluating CBD-based therapy for opioid addiction
• Application made to uplist to OTCQB in early 2018, attracting more investment

The worldwide cannabidiol (CBD) oil market, which includes products derived from both marijuana and hemp, is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 39 percent through 2021. The health benefits of CBD oil are the major driver for growth in this market, with global demand steadily on the rise in recent years. Hemp-based CBD oil products in particular are more popular, as they have a lower concentration of psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) than those derived from marijuana, therefore not requiring a medical prescription (http://ibn.fm/K3s1m). Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTC: ETST) is one of the companies that is focused on the development of hemp-based CBD products and has taken a number of steps recently to enlarge its presence in this market sector.

Following a revamp of its CBD product line, Earth Science Tech announced on February 13, 2018, that it had concluded an agreement with Mr. Checkout for the distribution of its products via major retailers and stores across the United States. This agreement will strengthen the company’s distribution network, which currently has 10 active representatives targeting distribution to health food stores and clinics. Mr. Checkout is a national group of independent distributors of products to over 60 major retailers and 55,000 stores. It will market ETST’s product line to major retailers such as Walmart, Walgreens and Target.

Earth Science Tech is a biotechnology company focused on the research and development of hemp-based CBD products for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. It also has a focus on the development of diagnostic tools and medical devices. On February 28, 2018, the company announced that it had finalized plans to conduct human trials on its new CBD-based formulation that targets opioid addiction (http://ibn.fm/xF5zk). These trials will assess the efficacy of the combination of hemp-based CBD oil with an essential mineral element. Currently, the sole therapy for this condition is a monotherapy based on an essential mineral element. ETST’s formulation is expected to increase the potency and improve the outcome of this therapy.

The company operates through three wholly owned subsidiaries:

• Cannabis Therapeutics, Inc. which develops leading edge, cannabinoid-based products for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors;
• KannaBidioiD which is focused more on developing products for the recreational use of cannabis, including edibles, vapes and eLiquids;
• Earth Science Pharma, Inc., which develops medical devices and low-cost, noninvasive diagnostic tools, as well as testing processes and vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases.

Cannabis Therapeutics is in the development stage of two CBD-based pharmaceutical drugs and three CBD-based nutraceutical products. These will target a variety of ailments, including depression, anxiety, breast cancer and fatty liver disease. In October 2017, Earth Science Tech announced a collaboration with Clinique SIDA Amité to conduct a mini-trial on its MSN-2 device for the detection of Chlamydia. ETST has also acquired Canna Inno Laboratories Inc., based in Montreal, Canada, which will give the company the opportunity to expand into Canada and gain access to local government grants for pharmaceutical industry innovation.

Earth Science Tech expects to uplist to the OTCQB Venture Exchange in early 2018, which it believes will attract well-funded institutional investors. These recent developments are likely to increase company growth and enlarge Earth Science Tech’s presence in the cannabis industry.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.EarthScienceTech.com

• World governments helping to drive turn toward eco-friendly increase in lithium-ion battery use
• Marifil reviving unexplored property in ‘lithium triangle’ while negotiating for additional acquisitions
• High-tech batteries expected to account for 60 to 70 percent of lithium and cobalt demand by 2020

The geopolitical gear shifts driving automakers to turn toward sharply enhanced production of electric vehicles (EVs) and the under-produced minerals that make up the EVs’ lithium-ion batteries have created a market party for lithium and cobalt explorers such as Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) during the past couple of years, as revenues and investor interest have soared. However, the first two months of 2018 have seen projections for lithium’s fortunes cool as the resolution of legal wrangling in Chile led to immediate concerns that the coming years may see a supply surplus instead of the scarcity previously anticipated. Amid the uncertainty pushing prices lower, the projected rise in demand for EVs has remained constant, however — not to mention the need for lithium-ion batteries in internet-connected devices such as cell phones and electronic tablets — as a number of countries try to mitigate environmental harm to the planet by codifying policy in favor of renewable energy sources that are not reliant on the oil and gas industry.

Marifil has staked out land for mineral exploration in the renowned ‘lithium triangle’ of South America. It is reviving a program that was active in Argentina a decade ago, building on an unexplored mine it possesses with an application for a second and negotiations for a purchase option in a third property to establish a significant property portfolio of ‘salar’ brine evaporation lakes. In addition to nearly 152,000 acres of lithium-staked properties, Marifil has 100 percent ownership of 887 acres of land for cobalt exploration and 91,565 acres of gold mining rights in an advanced exploration stage epithermal polymetallic deposit with “excellent infrastructure and mining friendly politics.”

Analysts have predicted that global lithium-ion battery demand will grow between six and seven times by 2026 (http://ibn.fm/q6DEG). Sean Brodrick, senior editor at Weiss Ratings, calls the pullback in lithium stocks overdone, predicting that global demand will grow by 75,000 metric tons in the next two years, outpacing new supplies of 25,000 to 30,000 metric tons over that period. Hallgarten mining strategist Christopher Ecclestone forecasts a much tighter market for cobalt that might tip into the “cannot-get-it-for-love-or-money” category. All told, high-tech batteries are expected to account for 60 to 70 percent of the demand for both lithium and cobalt by 2020, notwithstanding concerns about reported human rights violations in world-leading cobalt producer the Democratic Republic of the Congo (http://ibn.fm/Aop33).

In the meantime, gold prices also continue to rise and provide optimism for mining companies that may increase if the United States’ national deficit continues to increase in relation to the gross domestic product. Amid the optimism, Marifil announced last month that it had closed private placement funding for $2 million that will inject additional life into the company, subject to the final exchange approval. The company stated in a news release that proceeds from the funding will benefit acquisition plans, a drilling program at its gold claim and other output from its general working capital accounts (http://ibn.fm/NUITY).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MarifilMines.com

• Two patents received from the U.S. and Canada for oil sands extraction technology
• Proprietary technology is scalable, commercially proven and highly profitable
• Technology used to increase production at Petroteq’s Utah facility to 1,000 barrels per day

In early January 2018, Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTCQX: PQEFF) announced that it had received two patents from the U.S. Patent Office and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for its oil sands extraction process. The company has developed a unique continuous-flow oil extraction process utilizing closed loop technology that is environmentally safe. This technology was developed over a five-year period by Petroteq’s research and engineering teams. It has been independently evaluated by a reputable petroleum and chemical engineering company, Chapman Engineering, that has concluded that Petroteq’s oil sands extraction technology is scalable, cost effective and commercially proven.

The company has already produced approximately 10,000 barrels of oil using the new technology and is expanding its heavy oil extraction plant in Asphalt Ridge, Utah, to further increase production. Petroteq plans to increase the oil plant’s production capacity to 1,000 barrels per day after modifications and the implementation of its innovative extraction technology (http://ibn.fm/eRwUn). Utah contains around 55 percent of America’s total oil sands deposits, with a total oil resource of more than 30 billion barrels. Petroteq’s mineral lease in the state covers over 3,000 acres and features a large oil sands resource estimated at 87 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company’s patented and cost effective extraction process is expected to make development of this resource highly profitable.

Petroteq’s extraction technology (http://ibn.fm/n1Lto) is versatile, enabling its application to both oil-wet deposits, such as its resource in Utah, and to its water-wet oil sands deposits in Alberta, Canada. This technology uses no water in the extraction process, requires no high temperature or pressure to affect extraction and produces no greenhouse gases. It extracts up to 99 percent of all hydrocarbons and recycles up to 99 percent of benign solvents used in the process. Being a closed loop, the system also reduces the company’s environmental footprint and requires no tailings pond. The only elements leaving the system are the product, crude oil, and a solitary by-product, clean sands, which can be sold or put back in the earth.

Petroteq’s extraction process is based on patent-pending liquid fluidized bed technology. This enables continuous mixing of ore particles and solvents, providing continuous production with optimal material, mass and energy balances as opposed to the reduced efficiency of a batch process. There are several stages in the company’s extraction process:

• Mined oil sands ore is crushed in preparation for processing;
• Crushed ore is fed into the fluidized bed extractor, where bitumen is extracted using a solvent at temperatures between 50°C and 60°C;
• Bitumen and solvent are pumped via an evaporator to a distillation column;
• Crude oil, in the form of bitumen and other hydrocarbons, is separated from the solvent in the distillation column and then pumped to a storage tank;
• The solvent is recycled and heated before being fed back into the extractor;
• Purified sands leave the extractor to be dried.

The entire system is energy efficient, with heat generated during the process being recycled. It also produces crude oil with a very low sulphur content, making downstream processing less costly. The oil extracted from the Asphalt Ridge facility has an average viscosity rating of 14 API, making it far easier to transport than other crude oils.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Petroteq.energy

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