Hawsons Iron (ASX:HIO) has begun a collaborative research project with the Commonwealth of Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), with financial assistance provided via the Kick-Start Program.
CSIRO’s Kick-Start Program is an initiative for innovative Australian businesses providing matched funding support and access to the science agency’s research expertise and capabilities. The program aims to help companies grow and develop their ideas.
Hawsons, which has a market capitalisation of $18.29 million, has been approved for a $47,850 Kick-Start Program voucher and the work is expected to take four months to complete.
The two-part project aims to provide further confidence in the physical and metallurgical properties of pellets that can be manufactured from Hawsons’ magnetite concentrate.
Hawsons says this will be achieved through a suite of balling tests, preheating and roasting tests, as well as confirming the firing profile at a larger-scale to provide sufficient sample for physical and metallurgical characterisation of the pellets as a blast furnace and direct reduction shaft burden.
In conjunction, the project aims to determine the chemical and mineralogical properties of the non-magnetic iron content contained within the tails fraction.
Specifically, the work is designed to determine the main iron-bearing mineral reporting to the tails, the degree of liberation of the iron-oxide in the tails and the associated gangue minerals, and the deportment of phosphorus in the fraction.
CEO Tom Revy says “these studies are very important to Hawsons’ investigations into potential saleable hematite byproducts, and the continued discussions with potential offtakers in regards the use of Hawsons’ quality concentrate in high-value green pellets”.
Hawsons Iron is advancing green steel production through magnetite concentrate. The company’s namesake project is located near essential infrastructure and aims to reduce emissions and cut operational costs.
Iron prices are expected to gradually decline over the medium to long term, which is attributed to a projected surplus in global seaborne trade balance, with imports into China poised to suffer significant volatility, as reported.
S&P Global forecasts a notable drop of 45.8 million tonnes in 2025, reducing imports to 1.192 billion tonnes – marking the first decline since 2022. This is primarily driven by an expected reduction in China’s steel production.
“However, by 2029, we expect a rebound in imports, reaching a projected peak of (1.254 billion tonnes) as domestic iron ore production declines. Looking ahead to 2035, imports are forecast to dip again to (1.194 billion tonnes), influenced by the persistent decline in China’s steel output, which will continue to suppress iron ore demand,” S&P Global reports.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Hawsons Iron
