American Manganese Inc (CVE:AMY) (OTCMKTS:AMYZF) (FRA:2AM) said testing on samples from its Wenden stockpile project in Arizona, US, had achieved manganese extraction rates of up to an encouraging 88%.
As previously reported, the project is being funded by an award from the United States Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
READ: American Manganese says Wenden Stockpile testing project, funded by the United States Defense Logistics Agency, is underway and on schedule
The aim is to establish whether electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) can be produced using American Manganese's ground-breaking recovery process.
"I am pleased to see our Wenden Stockpile project progressing on our proposed timeline and demonstrating the versatility of our patented manganese process," said Larry Reaugh, CEO of American Manganese in a statement.
"Our manganese patent was the cornerstone in the development of our patented lithium-ion battery cathode material recycling process, and we are now fortunate to have the opportunity to advance these two great projects."
The 14 samples (550 pounds) collected were blended into a master composite and crushed into various sizes for leach testing to establish optimal process conditions for various size and to consider how to scale-up a potential processing plant.
The next step is to conduct leach tests using the determined optimal leach conditions on each of the 14 individual representative samples, with a focus on reducing the leach reagent consumption, before advancing to tailings characterization, manganese carbonate precipitation, and electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) testing, AMY said.
The company also highlighted a letter released by Congressman Paul Gosar, which put the Wenden Stockpile work in its larger strategic context, stating that an advanced manganese material processing facility at Wenden could end the USA's current 100% manganese import-dependency, and reduce its reliance on China for the advanced manganese supply chain.
In addition to its DLA grant focused on the Wenden manganese stockpile, AMY is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Critical Materials Institute’s work on electric vehicle (EV) battery materials recycling.
Under the grant awarded in October last year by the DLA, American Manganese's proposed timeline to complete the laboratory testing campaign is anticipated to take 47 weeks.
Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com
