Element 25 Ltd (ASX:E25) has successfully leached run-of-mine concentrate product from its stage-1 beneficiation plant at the world-class Butcherbird Manganese Project in WA to produce a manganese sulphate solution as the first step in producing battery-grade high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM).
The product from the simple low-cost beneficiation process in use at the project was always envisaged as suitable feed material for E25’s rapid, simple leach process.
As in previous test-work on material from Butcherbird, high extraction rates of up to 97% were achieved in under 60 minutes with the bulk of the extraction taking place in the first 15 minutes of the reaction.
Importantly, the current round of extraction tests utilised an alternative reagent which offers advantages over that used previously both from an availability, cost, process simplification and carbon intensity perspective, in keeping with the company’s objective of becoming a low-cost Zero Carbon ManganeseTM producer.
Confirms suitability of concentrate
Element 25 managing director Justin Brown said: “The resumption of the flowsheet optimisation test program is a critical component of finalising the battery-grade manganese sulphate pre-feasibility study which is scheduled for completion in 2021.
“This work also importantly confirms the suitability of the concentrate produced from the stage-1 beneficiation circuit for conversion to HPMSM and the market can now expect regular updates from this workstream.”
Leach extraction details.
Test results also show the selectivity over impurities the E25 process can deliver, with clear partitioning of iron and manganese into the liquor and waste residue streams.
The next stage of the optimisation work will investigate the optimal way to purify the leach liquor to both minimise cost and process complexity, whilst also meeting the requirements of potential offtake partners.
Further updates will be released to the market as this work progresses, including the pre-feasibility study (PFS) documentation that is expected to show the commercial potential around the conversion of the concentrate product to battery-grade HPMSM to power the electrification of the global vehicle fleet.
Project team focus
The business development team is focusing on the next stages of the multi-stage development strategy of the project, including a stage-2 expansion of the concentrate business followed by a stage-3 development to convert the concentrate material into high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) for electric vehicle (EV) batteries to power the global transition away from fossil fuel-powered mobility.
Manganese is emerging as an increasingly important ingredient for EV batteries, with potential supply constraints for nickel and cobalt forcing battery manufacturers to look to high manganese cathodes to produce the vast amount of cathode material required by the EV industry in coming years.
Element 25 believes the project is ideally placed to feed this potential demand, with advanced flowsheet development work undertaken in 2019 and 2020 confirming a simple leach process for E25 ores which, when combined with offsets will target the world’s first Zero Carbon ManganeseTM for EV cathode manufacture.
Element 25 has a well-advanced flowsheet and business strategy.
In a recent investor presentation, the manganese stock highlighted its five-year plan to meet zero carbon high purity manganese production for new energy vehicles.
Element 25’s proposed timeline includes completing its pre-feasibility study in 2021, reaching full feasibility status by the first half of 2022, completing product qualification by the second half of 2022 and scheduling first production for 2024/2025.
Other potential pathways that the company is investigating to produce zero-carbon manganese include:
- Extensive wind and solar resource data set collected at site;
- Energy modelling confirmed cost advantage with renewable solutions;
- Green hydrogen-powered mine fleet and bulk haulage;
- Battery-powered bulk haulage trucks to be made available in Australia shortly;
- Green hydrogen reduction reagent potential (similar to green steel);
- Supply chain transparency and ESG accounting; and
- Collaboration with other ESG focused companies to pursue new solutions.