Trial To Process 13 Tonnes Of “Slag” Over 22 days From Three Scandinavian sites
Neometals Ltd (ASX: NMT) has confirmed its continuous pilot trial on the company’s Vanadium Recovery Project (VRP) – which aims to recover vanadium from steel making by-product- is now operating at steady state.
The Pilot campaign will process approximately 13 tonnes of vanadium-bearing steel by-product (Slag) over a total of 22 days from three Scandinavian sites at 25kg/hr.
Managing Director, Chris Reed, said successful completion of the Pilot will confirm the technical feasibility of Neometals’ proprietary process at scale and data for an AACE Class 3 feasibility study – it will also provide vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) samples for evaluation by potential off- takers.
Neometals has previously executed a collaboration agreement with Critical Metals Ltd, to jointly evaluate the feasibility of constructing a VRP facility in Finland to recover and produce sustainable high-grade vanadium products from Slag stockpiles in Scandinavia.
Neometals is funding and managing the evaluation activities, including the completion of successive feasibility studies up to consideration of a final investment decision, which, if positive, will earn Neometals a 50% interest in an incorporated joint venture with Critical.
The 1:1000 scale Pilot follows positive results from an earlier mini-pilot trial together with encouraging financial outcomes from scoping and pre-feasibility level studies.
The VRP Pilot seeks to confirm the technical feasibility of Neometals’ proprietary hydrometallurgical process flowsheet at a scale 25 times larger than previous studies. Specifically, the trials, due for completion in July 2022, are expected to confirm the exceptional product purities and strong recoveries demonstrated in the mini-pilot.
In addition to providing proof-of-scale, the VRP Pilot will generate approximately 300 kilograms of vanadium pentoxide for marketing and product evaluation purposes as well as stabilised slag material (SSM) by-product for evaluation as a construction material in building industry trials.
“It’s hard not to be excited by the strong results delivered by successive evaluations of the VRP and the significant market tailwinds in Europe for domestic battery metals projects with a potential ‘zero-carbon’ footprint,” Mr Reed said.
“We are confident that this Pilot which will further reinforce a business case underpinned by industry-leading sustainability credentials, exceptional grade stockpiled feedstocks and robust potential financial metrics.
“Aside from generating data for our internal evaluation, the VRP Pilot will generate significant samples to mature our dialogues with potential off-takers under formal product evaluation arrangements.”
