Element 25 (ASX: E25) has been granted an 8-year patent for rapid atmospheric extraction of manganese from run-of-mine concentrate at its Butcherbird Manganese operation in Western Australia.
The company’s patent is based on a process-proven ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure leach, with multiple rounds of testing successfully producing a manganese sulphate solution, achieving high recoveries and ‘excellent’ selectivity against undesirable impurities.
high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate is used in the manufacture of cathodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries
The company’s recent test work had confirmed high extraction rates of up to 97% in under 60 minutes, with the bulk of the extraction taking place in the first 15 minutes of the reaction.
The manganese sulphate solution is then further processed to produce high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM), used in the manufacture of cathodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles.
Manganese has been proving pivotal as an ingredient for EV batteries, buoyed by potential supply constraints for nickel and cobalt. This is forcing battery manufacturers to look to manganese to produce the vastly expanding amount of cathode material required by the EV industry in coming years.
The company reports that it is working on further flowsheet optimisation to reduce costs and carbon outputs.
