AE Fuels (TSX-V:AEF) has joined an Australian research partnership to support its plans to process manganese from its South Woodie Woodie Manganese Project into battery materials.
The company has become an industry partner in the Critical Metals for Critical Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CMCI CRC), seeking technical expertise and industry connections for its downstream development work.
The centre was awarded $53 million in Australian Government funding over 10 years, announced in March. Its partners have committed a further approximately $185 million in cash and in-kind contributions to develop and commercialise critical-metals refining technologies.
CEO Gary Lewis says the company has already produced high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) from South Woodie Woodie material.
“We have already demonstrated that South Woodie Woodie material can be beneficiated and converted into battery-grade HPMSM,” Lewis says.
AE Fuels is also targeting electrolytic manganese dioxide and electrolytic manganese metal.
Its proposed research project remains subject to agreement on scope, partners, funding, intellectual property arrangements, and the centre’s approvals.
The broader initiative brings together industry, government, and research institutions to expand Australia’s refining capabilities. Research partners include the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Macquarie University, and Swinburne University.
Its work aims to help Australia capture more value from mineral production through domestic processing, while developing technologies for energy, electronics, and defence supply chains.
South Woodie Woodie covers 533.4km² in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The wholly owned project contains an inferred mineral resource of 11.3 million tonnes @ 15% manganese, reported under NI 43-101.
AE Fuels is a critical minerals company advancing manganese in Western Australia and fluorspar in New Mexico, US, with a focus on downstream processing and supply chains.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: AE Fuels
