I-Minerals Metakaolin Tests Well, Markets Developing

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - December 04, 2014) - I-Minerals Inc. (TSX VENTURE: IMA) (OTCQX: IMAHF) ("the Company" or "I-Minerals") is pleased to announce results from laboratory and field testing of its Metakaolin product. Metakaolin is a natural pozzolan that is used as a partial replacement or an additive for cement in construction where high strength is needed. Testing completed to date according to ASTM Standards include: ASR Reaction, Chemical and Physical Analysis of a Natural Pozzolan, Accelerated Pozzolan Strength Activity, particle size assessment, compressive strength, and Rapid Chloride Ion Permeability test.

"The test results received to date, together with the customer feedback adds further validation to the market price and product demand assumptions incorporated in our Pre-Feasibility Study," stated Thomas Conway President and CEO of I-Minerals Inc. "The potential for sales beyond those included in the PFS is strong as we are bringing a quality product into an underserviced market given transportation costs have priced metakaolin out of many market opportunities."

Metakaolin increases compressive strength, reduces permeability and efflorescence ⁽¹⁾, increases resistance to chemical attack, increases durability, reduces the effects of alkali-silica reactivity ("ASR") ⁽²⁾, enhances workability and finishing of concrete and reduces shrinkage, due to "particle packing" making concrete denser. Initial results are favorable and indicate that I-Minerals Metakaolin improves the characteristics of the concrete and has significant ASR reducing capabilities. Feedback from groups testing the product including Magmatics, Inc. , Milad City, Idaho, CTL Thompson, Denver, Colorado and Pre-Mix, Inc. of Pullman, Washington indicated that grinding the product to a finer particle size will increase the reactivity levels resulting in even greater compressive strengths and reactivity. Based upon this feedback, I-Minerals has amended the production process for pilot plant scale Metakaolin production at Ginn Mineral Research to produce a finer grain Metakaolin product. 

Metakaolin is one of four mineral products planned to be produced at I-Minerals Helmer-Bovill property, with the other minerals being K-spar, quartz and halloysite. Metakaolin is created by calcining a suitable kaolin to approximately 700° C in a rotary kiln. Currently there are no producers of a high reactivity metakaolin in the Pacific Northwest. Markets being targeted by I-Minerals for its metakaolin product include high performance, high strength, and lightweight concrete, precast and poured-mold concrete and fibercement and ferrocement products and glass fiber reinforced concrete. A key market going forward is highways jurisdictions in areas where the aggregate used in the concrete is highly reactive for applications such as recapping bridge decks where the increased strength and reduced permeability is predicted to reduce longer term maintenance costs.

"Grinding the kaolin to a finer particle size prior to calcining is a simple change to our production flow sheet," continued Mr. Conway. "Given our northwestern Idaho location we expect to be very competitive in our target markets given the alternate metakaolin sources are in Georgia which brings with it much higher transportation costs and among other pozzalons, fly ash, a by-product of coal combustion is not as environmentally friendly. None of this is lost on some of the Pacific Northwest concrete suppliers that are already showing strong interest in our metakaolin product."

A. Lamar Long, CPG, is a qualified person ("QP") for I-Minerals Inc. and has reviewed and approved the contents of this release.

1. Efflorescence occurs when calcium is transported by water to the surface where it combines with carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make calcium carbonate, which precipitates on the surface as a white residue.
2. ASR is a reaction that occurs over time in concrete between the highly alkaline cement and non-crystalline silica found in many common aggregates. Adding a very fine siliceous material such as metakaolin neutralizes the excessive alkalinity of the cement through the addition of silicic acid by voluntarily provoking a controlled pozzolanic reaction at the early stage of cement setting.

About I-Minerals Inc.

I-Minerals is developing multiple deposits of high purity, high value halloysite, quartz, potassium feldspar and kaolin at its strategically located Helmer-Bovill property in north central Idaho. A 2014 Prefeasibility Study on the Bovill Kaolin Deposit completed by SRK Consulting (USA) Inc. highlights the potential of the Helmer-Bovill property's Bovill Kaolin deposit: after tax NPV₆ of $212 million; 30.5% IRR; 3 year payback and $72.7 million initial CAPEX; $84 million CAPEX including life of mine sustaining capital over a 25 year mine life. Ongoing development work is focused on moving project towards production.

I-Minerals Inc.

per: "Thomas M. Conway" 

Thomas M. Conway,
President & CEO

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

This News Release includes certain "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various risks. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of the following factors, among others: changes in the world wide price of mineral market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risk associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and uncertainty of access to additional capital.