Firebird Metals (ASX:FRB) has completed calcining and leaching trials for manganese chemical business Taza Metal Technologies, as part of ongoing technical due diligence of an energy-efficient calcining kiln for manganese chemical production.
Hunan Firebird Battery Technology (HFBT), Firebird’s Chinese subsidiary, has processed 3.3 tonnes of 18-20% manganese ore from lower grade stockpiles from Taza’s mine in Kazakhstan.
The trial demonstrated energy reduction with an average consumption of 230 kilowatts per hour per tonne of ore feed compared to greater than 400 kilowatt per hour per tonne quoted for conventional rotary kilns by third-party suppliers.
On a commercial-scale kiln, a further 25% reduction is expected, which brings the total consumption to less than half.
Firebird, which has a market capitalisation of $10.96 million, says this is another step in its strategy to commercialise its innovative, efficient technology globally, and validates the quality of the calcining kiln.
Managing Director Peter Allen says the calcining kiln delivers energy savings that are crucial to the minerals processing industry — making this product potentially transformative for the market.
“Our technical team is continuing to deliver consistent innovation that makes our own processes more efficient, supporting our low-cost lithium manganese iron phosphate battery cathodes strategy, and affords us the opportunity to commercialise revolutionary new technology,” Allen says.
“Our commitment to efficiency, alongside our quality in-country partners, gives us the opportunity to become one of the lowest-cost battery-grade manganese sulphate producers, placing us in an incredibly competitive market position going forward.”
Firebird’s calcining kiln is currently under international patent application, which provides greater energy efficiency than existing alternatives. The company has completed trials of the pilot scale calcining kilns, with results generated indicating that the calcining kiln has potential to reduce energy usage by 40% when processing 44% manganese content ore.
The calcining kiln technology will also be assessed for use across industries such as iron ore beneficiation and lithium sulphate production.
Further, Firebird is managing multiple kiln inquiries from within China and international potential clients.
Firebird Metals is an advanced manganese developer focused on combining mining and downstream processing with a focus to advance the electric vehicle battery sector.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Firebird Metals
