Wärtsilä and Schneider to co-develop sustainable lithium power solution

Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric have developed a sustainable, uninterrupted power solution for lithium mines with no access to a grid.

Developed for remote lithium mines, the fit-for-purpose power system includes a tailored supply consulting, design, and power infrastructure build service.

The service also covers equipment delivery, installation, digital microgrids operation, and commissioning for global mining operators.

The new solution is intended for new mines, which are under the design phase, and mining project conversions.

Wärtsilä Energy strategic partnership director Jean Nabb said: “The increasing global demand for lithium needed for battery storage applications is putting pressure on mining operations to be as efficient and cost-effective as possible.”

The partners expect the solution to contribute to sustainable lithium production by using microgrids and renewable energy sources. It is also expected to reduce the mining site’s environmental impact and production cost.

Commenting on the new solution, Schneider Electric vice-president and mining, minerals and metals segment leader Vivek Kapoor said: “It has the potential to power the next generation of technology and ultimately act as the foundation of a net-zero society.

“Global minerals, metals and mining operators need to decarbonise their operations at speed and to move towards becoming 100% renewable. This solution provides the answers to these challenges, bringing transparency and efficiency to previously opaque operations.”

In March 2020, the two parties struck a framework co-operation agreement to provide high-efficiency power solutions for the mining industry, with a reduced environmental footprint.

Rio Tinto and ARENA to explore clean hydrogen usage in alumina refining

Rio Tinto and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) have teamed up to study the feasibility of replacing natural gas with hydrogen in alumina refineries to reduce emissions.

The partners will assess the use of clean hydrogen in the calcination process of refining at the Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone.

The programme comprises two distinct work packages. One involves the simulation of the calcination process using a lab-scale reactor at Rio Tinto’s Bundoora Technical Development Centre in Melbourne, Victoria.

The second package is a preliminary engineering and design study to be carried out at Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone, Queensland. The aim is to assess the construction and operational needs of a potential demonstration project at the site.

Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Operations acting managing director Daniel van der Westhuizen said: “We’re investing in work that needs to be done, not only to decarbonise one of our sites, but also to help provide a lower-emissions pathway for Rio Tinto and the global aluminium industry.

“We recognise we are on a long road towards reducing emissions across our operations and there is clearly more work to be done. But projects such as this are an important part of helping us get there.”

The A$1.2m feasibility study is being funded equally by ARENA and Rio Tinto.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said that replacing fossil fuels with clean hydrogen in the refining process for alumina could reduce emissions in the energy and emissions-intensive refining stage of the aluminium supply chain.

Rio Tinto currently contributes to nearly a third of Australia’s total alumina production capacity. The firm has set a 2050 target for achieving net-zero emissions across its operations.

GroundProbe develops reactive geohazard monitoring system

Technology firm GroundProbe has introduced Reactive Geohazard Radar (RGR) Velox, a new advanced doppler radar for reactive geohazard monitoring and alarming.

The new military-precision system has been designed to detect, track, and sound alarms over moving geohazards in real-time such as tailings dam breaches, large slope failures, landslides, and avalanches.

The early warning sign of the solution allows miners to act accordingly to safeguard themselves from potential breach or collapse.

GroundProbe CEO David Noon said that the company’s customer-oriented approach to innovation and technology resulted in the development of the RGR-Velox reactive monitoring solution.

Noon said: “GroundProbe already has the industry’s broadest range of geotechnical monitoring technologies and services, yet we continually strive to design and develop new solutions to best meet our customers’ needs.

“By having our customers actively participate in our product development process, we are able to co-create value and produce the most beneficial solution offering.

“At GroundProbe, we aim to keep people, assets and communities safe through better risk management and the RGR-Velox is the ultimate assistant in reactive safety monitoring.”

The GroundProbe’s RGR-Velox system is claimed to be the industry’s highest precision, fastest scanning, and longest range doppler radar.

It features military-grade hardware integrated with GroundProbe’s safety-critical software, alarming and systems.

GroundProbe technology vice-president Fernanda Carrea said the RGR-Velox sets the new standard in emergency geohazard monitoring.

The system allows users to customise the alarming capabilities to meet their specific site challenges and conditions.

Vista Gold gets final major permit for Mt Todd mine in Australia

US-based Vista Gold has secured Mining Management Plan (MMP) approval from the Northern Territory Government for the Mt Todd gold project in Australia.

Claimed to be the biggest undeveloped gold resource in Australia, the Mt Todd gold project is around 290km from Darwin, situated on the early Proterozoic Pine Creek Geosyncline.

The approval marks the final major authorisation required for the mine development and a significant de-risking milestone for the company.

Vista president and CEO Frederick H Earnest said: “We believe the approval of the MMP distinguishes Mt Todd as an attractive, de-risked, and partner-ready development-stage gold project.

"This is highlighted by a large-scale production design, low expected operating costs, mining-friendly jurisdiction, substantial existing infrastructure, strong social and government support, and all major authorisations in hand.

“At a gold price of $1,900 and a foreign exchange rate of $0.775=A$1.00, the after-tax NPV5% is estimated to be $1.7bn with an after-tax IRR of more than 38.8%. We are committed to realising the full value of Mt Todd for our shareholders.”

The project received a Commonwealth environmental permit from the Australian Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy in January 2018.

The Mt Todd mine is estimated to contain more than 7.8Moz gold resources with significant deposit and potential for district exploration expansion.

According to estimates, the project will produce 4.96Moz of gold through its mine life of 13 years. It is projected to have a throughput rate of 50,000 tonnes per day.

The mine is expected to create approximately 450 jobs during the construction phase, and 350 jobs once it becomes operational.

Schlumberger New Energy and Panasonic Energy partner on lithium production

Schlumberger New Energy has partnered with Panasonic Energy of North America to advance the new sustainable battery-grade lithium extraction and production process.

The latest collaboration agreement is aimed at validating and optimising Schlumberger’s new direct lithium extraction (DLE) technique.

The DLE technique has been developed to produce high-purity, battery-grade material while maximising lithium resource recovery.

The process is planned to be used at the Neolith Energy pilot plant in Nevada, US. The facility will be built by NeoLith Energy, a joint venture between Pure Energy Minerals and Schlumberger.

Schlumberger expects the latest collaboration to help improve lithium production solutions, which would address the anticipated surge in demand for lithium in the global electric vehicles market.

The pilot plant is nearly 200 miles from Panasonic’s advanced battery manufacturing operation in Sparks, Nevada.

Schlumberger New Energy executive vice-president Ashok Belani said: “Panasonic is a pioneer in electric vehicle battery technology, and we are excited to collaborate with them in developing our differentiated direct lithium extraction and production process.

“We are committed to expanding the global supply chain for advanced lithium compounds to support the forecasted surge in demand and enable new opportunities for lithium production globally.”

Schlumberger New Energy, together with Panasonic, intends to accelerate the development and implementation of an innovative lithium production process.

The aim of the Neolith Energy plant is to pump brine from the subsurface and extract more than 90% of the dissolved lithium.

It also focuses on pumping more than 85% of the brine back to the subsurface in an environmentally safe way.

Mkango and Grupa Azoty to develop rare earth separation plant in Poland

Mkango Resources has partnered with Polish fertiliser and chemicals company Grupa Azoty Zakłady Azotowe Pulawy to develop a rare earth separation plant in Poland.

The two firms have also signed an exclusive lease option agreement for a site at Pulawy in Poland.

Located within a Polish Special Economic Zone, the site is adjacent to Grupa Azoty’s fertiliser and chemicals complex.

The new plant is expected to produce 2,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of separated neodymium and praseodymium oxides. It will also produce 50tpa dysprosium and terbium oxides in a heavy rare earth-enriched carbonate.

The partners are also looking to produce lanthanum cerium carbonate at the proposed plant.

Mkango expects the production from the proposed rare earth separation plant to strengthen the security of rare earth supply in Europe.

A vital component of magnets, rare earth metals are used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and other green technologies.

Mkango Poland country director Jarosław Pączek said: “This is a very exciting development for Poland at a time when Europe is focused on strengthening supply chains for critical materials and transitioning to a greener economy.

“The creation of a new European hub for rare earth at the heart of central Europe in Poland complements battery, electric vehicle and renewable energy developments in the region, with a site strategically located for European trade and transport routes and benefiting from plug-and-play access to reagents and utilities.”

Moreover, the plant will receive sustainably sourced, purified mixed rare earth carbonate from Mkango’s Songwe Hill operations.

The Canadian firm is also assessing other synergies to process feeds.

Mkango CEO William Dawes said: “Our integrated ‘mine, refine, recycle’ strategy, encompassing sustainably sourced light (NdPr) and heavy (Dy/Tb) rare earth from Malawi and rare earth magnet (NdFeB) recycling in the UK, via our interest in HyProMag, is now enhanced by the opportunity to create a rare earth separation and downstream hub in Poland, working with one of Europe’s largest chemical and fertiliser companies.”