Overview
- Exclusive North American & European licensing agreement for the sale of MetaLeachTM’s processing technologies
- Agreement details – Split profits 50% / 50%.
- Technologies include AmmLeach®, NickeLeach®, HyperLeach® and MoReLeach®Developed over more than 10 years with global research & development
- Protected by a rigorous intellectual property strategy, including a comprehensive suite of patent applications in targeted countries globally
Advantages
- Reduces capital and operating costs and/or improves recoveries
- Enables the treatment of base metals deposits that were not treatable with traditional processing methods
- Especially suitable for high-acid-consuming carbonate (oxide) hosted ores
- Potential operating and capital cost savings of 30-50% vs current technologies.
- Offers a reduction in carbon footprint
- Targeting miners of raw materials essential for the global electrification revolution
Overview of Technology
|
Product |
AmmLeach® |
HyperLeach® |
NickeLeach® |
MoReLeach® |
|
Equipment |
no special equipment required, small standard SX plant size for production |
heap leach or tank leaching |
heap leach or tank leaching |
highly selective leaching, separation and precipitation |
|
Commodity Focus |
high selectivity for target metals, does not react with iron, Ca, Mg, Al, and removal of CN-soluble Cu from gold ores |
selective for Cu, Ni-sulphides over pyrite, selective for sphalerite over galena. Low dissolution of Fe, CA, Mg. etc. |
selective leaching of nickel and cobalt. Much lower reactions with Fe/Ca/Mg than conventional leach |
selective for molybdenum and rhenium ores, concentrates and tailings including leaching Mo/Re from copper flotation concentrates |
|
Temp/Pressure |
ambient temperature and pressure, Heap or VAT Leaching |
rapid kinetics at ambient temperature and pressure. Reducing tankage and agitation costs | ambient temperature and pressure, Heap or VAT Leaching |
ambient temperature and pressure, Heap or VAT Leaching |
|
Economic Benefit |
minimal decommissioning costs, reagent recycle |
low reagent consumptions, can use high salinity water | low operating costs |
high selectivity for Mo/Re |
|
Other Benefits |
minimal reagent costs, ammonia can be 100% recycled; single leaching plant from oxide cap to primary sulphides with minor changes. Low purification requirements cutting opex |
can regenerate reagent using renewable energy | Can produce a nickel cathode product and cobalt hydroxide. |
leads to copper grade increases and reduction in penalties in copper smelter |
|
Elements/Minerals |
ammonia reacts with Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Mo, roaster concentrates; can treat oxides and sulphides |
leaches base metal sulphides including the following: chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, enargite, millerite, pentlandite, pyrrhotite, violarite, sphalerite | Selective leaching of Ni and Co, with improved metal recoveries into solution |
Selective leaching of Mo and Re |
|
Environmental footprint |
low, no roasting or acid plant. Residue is effectively environmentally neutral, essentially fertilizer in many cases |
environmentally friendly compared with smelting; no roasting or acid plant required. |
reagents are recycled |