Giyani Metals Corp (TSX-V:EMM, OTC:CATPF) Chief Development Officer Sean Thijsse spoke with Proactive about the company's progress in producing battery-grade manganese products, the results of early-stage product qualification testing, and its path toward commercial production.
Proactive: Giyani recently achieved first production of high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) at your Johannesburg demo plant. What does this milestone mean for the company in its path to commercial production?
Sean Thijsse: Look, it's a significant milestone for the company. We have been working on this project, this demonstration plant, for a number of years now. And finally, we've made this high-purity manganese sulfate, which the market has been waiting for and our potential offtake partners have been waiting for. So, it's a big stamp of approval on our process. It's a big leap forward in the commercialization of our project.
What were some of the key technical learnings from the demo plant that will feed into the full-scale design and the DFS?
There were a number of technical learnings from the demonstration plant that we are going to be taking forward to the DFS and the commercial facility. A number of them relate to the optimization of the process flowsheet, like swapping out some processes and replacing them with others. A lot of these processes are well-known in the industry, but it's the way we've put them together, the operating temperatures and things like that, that have really helped develop this flowsheet and made it quite unique for the industry. It's been an invaluable learning experience for the company.
You’ve also reported positive results from the first phase of Charge CCCV’s qualification program. What did those results show, and how do they position Giyani with potential customers?
Yeah. So, we got some fantastic results from our Phase 1 testing through Charge CCCV, or C4V. C4V is a US battery technology company that focuses on reducing emissions and enhancing efficiencies in new battery technologies. The qualification process with them is a three-phase approach. We just completed Phase 1 in October, which consisted of coin cell analysis using our HPMO product. They made coin cells using our material and compared it to their baseline cathode material. They tested for first cycle efficiency, cycling stability, charging and discharging, mass loading, and rate testing. The results showed remarkable consistency with their baseline, which is a strong stamp of approval for our HPMO product made at the demo plant back in Q1 2025.
Now we’re moving to Phase 2 and Phase 3. Phase 2 involves single-layer pouch cell testing with longer cycle tests. Phase 3 will be multi-layer pouch cells. The timelines are around 4–5 months for Phase 2 and 5–6 months for Phase 3. It’s a very good first step in qualifying our HPMO product through C4V. We've also sent product to multiple offtake partners, and results are looking positive there as well.
Giyani now has both HPMSM and HPMO in its portfolio. How does this dual product offering strengthen your position in the evolving battery metals market?
I think it positions us in a very unique place within the market. A number of our competitors are only focusing on one product or the other. Having natural product optionality is a significant strength for Giyani. The battery chemistry industry is moving very fast, and chemistries are changing significantly. This dual product optionality allows us to broaden the range of battery chemistries we can cater for.
In typical NMC-type batteries (nickel manganese cobalt), the preferred precursor is HPMSM. In lithium manganese nickel oxide or lithium manganese iron phosphate batteries — which are becoming big in China — you can use either HPMSM, oxide, or even carbonate. So, if one chemistry turns out to be the winner, we have the flexibility to scale up production accordingly.
What are the main milestones investors should be watching out for over the next six months as you focus on completing the DFS and continuing your qualification work?
The next six to 12 months are going to be critical for Giyani. The first milestone is the Definitive Feasibility Study, which is due out by the end of Q1 2026 — we remain on track for that. Other major milestones include securing offtake partners and project finance. We’re having conversations with potential debt and equity lenders and working on developing new relationships.
Looking into 2026, our focus remains on the DFS and ongoing qualification. But we also hope to start early works in Botswana on some infrastructure. In 2027, we hope to begin construction and ramp into commercial production towards the end of 2028 and into 2029.
Quotes have been lightly edited for style and clarity