Metals chemicals progress reported by Lepidico, Australian Vanadium

Research and market development of value-added metals is bearing fruit with Lepidico and Australian Vanadium (AVL) both reporting new company milestones.

Today resources and chemicals group Australian Vanadium confirmed positive results from its Cooperative Research Centre CRC-P grant studying the production of value-added vanadium chemicals.

Also today lithium chemicals company Lepidico announced it was negotiating an offtake agreement for its lithium chemicals, agricultural chemicals and constructin chemicals with international distributor, Bisley & Co.

Australian Vanadium’s CRC-P program has been developing technology to exploit its vanadium, iron and titanium resource at Gabanintha south of Meekatharra, where it will undertake crushing, milling and benefaction of the magnetite ores.

The resulting concentrate would be transported to Mullewa near the port where final refinement to high-quality, high-value vanadium products will take place.

Now the company reports it has extracted 94.9 per cent of vanadium from ores using its pilot pyrometallurgical Metso’s Grate Kiln technology.

Test work has confirmed the effectiveness of its technology and resulting high purity product.

High iron recovery has also been confirmed along with potential for an iron/titanium coproduct stream which can be upgraded using green hydrogen as a reductant.

AVL has submitted a patent application for its vanadium circuit processing technology which will underpin development of a bankable proposal to develop the integrated vanadium project.

The company has received $823,000 in grants so far for the project, which is planned to cost $4.9 million.

Meanwhile Lepidico and Bisley are focused initially on distribution of lithium hydroxide, sulphate of potash and amorphous silica for industrial applications.

The company’s L-Max process for production from non-conventional resources will initially be used in a proposed chemical plant in Abu Dhabi.

Picture: Australian Vanadium/rotary kiln

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