Element 25 (ASX:E25) granted patent for manganese process

• Element 25 (E25) is granted an innovation patent for its high-purity manganese process
• The company has designed a flowsheet for the extraction of high-purity manganese from run-of-mine concentrate from the Butcherbird Project in Western Australia
• E25 has been granted the patent for an eight-year term which further positions it as a potential supplier of high-grade manganese for the EV battery market
• Company shares are down 8.25 per cent to trade at $1.95 at 1:57 pm AEST

Element 25 (E25) has been granted an innovation patent for a flowsheet it designed.

The flowsheet is for the extraction of manganese from run-of-mine concentrate from the ‘world-class’ Butcherbird Manganese Project in Western Australia.

Recent test work confirmed high extraction rates of up to 97 per cent in less than one hour, with the bulk of the extraction taking place in the first 15 minutes of the reaction. This round of extraction tests used an alternative re-agent that has advantages such as availability, cost, simplification and carbon intensity, to those previously used.

The newly granted patent, which has an eight-year term, is based on the successful process to produce a manganese sulphate solution, achieving high recoveries and excellent selectivity against impurities.

This solution is further processed to produce battery-grade, high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

Element 25 is now focused on the next phase of its development strategy including a stage two expansion of the concentrate business followed by a stage three development to convert the concentrate material into HPMSM for EV batteries.

According to a Next Avenue report, manganese is becoming an increasingly important component for EV batteries due to the potential supply constraints for nickel and cobalt forcing battery manufacturers to look to manganese cathodes to produce cathode materials.

Positively for E25, its Butcherbird project is ‘ideally placed’ to feed the potential demand as it’s targeting the world’s first zero carbon manganese for EV cathode producers.

Company shares were down 8.25 per cent to trade at $1.95 at 1:57 pm AEST.