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Bayan Mining and Minerals Ltd (ASX: BMM; "BMM" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement to exclusively licence IP from Macquarie University for its Solar Cell Recycling Technology. A summary of the material terms of the agreement are set out in Schedule 1. This agreement is a key milestone in Bayan’s strategic growth, enabling the Company to take advantage of a major economic opportunity in the critical mineral recycling/recovery market.
Highlights
- Bayan has secured an exclusive license from Macquarie University for “Microwave Joule Heating Technology” a microwave-based solar panel recycling technology, positioning the company at the forefront of sustainable energy technology solutions.
- The Company intends to commence further research and development to assess the ability to potentially recover valuable metals such as Silver, Silicon, Gallium and Indium.
- The basis of the technology platform utilises microwave technology to soften the EVA encapsulant in solar panels, enabling easy delamination and potential recovery of valuable materials at room temperature. This approach avoids the need for extreme heat (1400°C) typically required for separating materials like glass and silicon as well as the use of costly hazardous chemicals in traditional processes.
- Delamination enables selective separation of materials without the need for mechanical crushing, whereas traditional crushing methods often result in crosscontaminated material and lower recovery rates.
- The breakthrough technology presents a potential novel pathway for improved recovery of materials such as silver and silicon from solar panels, critical materials underpinning solar and semiconductor technologies.
- By 2035, Australia is expected to accumulate 1 million tonnes of solar panel waste worth over A$1 billion1, while the global CIGS (Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide) solar cell market is projected to grow to US$12.23 billion by 20322.
The Technology from Macquarie University
The team from the School of Engineering at Macquarie University, led by Dr Binesh Puthen Veettil, have developed a new microwave technology that will solve the challenge of electronic waste from end-of-life solar panels. Currently, the recycling process is technically challenging with only an estimated 15% of solar panels making it to a recycling facility3, and the remainder going straight to landfill once they have reached their 20–25-year end of life span. In the rare instance they are recycled, the solar panels, in the traditional method, are crushed and heated at approximately 1400°C before being washed in harsh chemicals to remove the plastics.
Dr Binesh Puthen Veettil’s research in collaboration with the School of Photovoltaics at UNSW, the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics and further supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency highlights the immense need and impact this technology will bring.
In this new method, the microwave energy is used to selectively heat the materials within a solar panel. In this process, the silicon cells and other microwave-absorbing components rapidly heat up, while surrounding materials remain relatively cool. This targeted heating causes the plastic encapsulant, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which holds the panel layers together to soften and degrade.
Figure 1 – A visual representation illustrating how microwave radiation selectively targets the plastic encapsulant (EVA) in solar panels, softening it to enable the delamination of solar cells while leaving other materials largely unaffected
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This article includes content from Bayan Mining and Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
BMM:AU
Drilling Commences at the Kanowna East Gold Project
Key Points
- High impact drilling has commenced at Kanowna East, targeting basement gold systems at the Western Tiger and Little Lake Prospects, only 25kms NE of Kalgoorlie.
- Program designed to test prospective structural settings and alteration zones along the Reidy Fault and newly recognised northeast gravity trends.
- Targeting the potential source of widespread paleochannel gold occurrences identified from historical drilling.
- Strong cash position of ~$3 million ensures a well-funded campaign and supports strategic exploration momentum.
Figure 1: Ragland Drilling RC Drill Rig at AX8’s Little Lake Prospect, Kanowna East Project.
The 2,000m reverse circulation (RC) program is testing structurally controlled, basement- hosted gold targets at the Western Tiger and Little Lake Prospects (Figure 2). These targets have been selected based on structural complexity, geophysical modelling, and geochemical signatures indicative of gold-bearing systems.
Figure 2: Western Tiger & Little Lake geology interpretation with planned RC drill hole locations (green triangles).
At Western Tiger, drilling is focused on the undrilled western margin of a felsic intrusive unit interpreted to have been emplaced along the Reidy Fault. Sericite alteration, arsenic- antimony pathfinder anomalies, and recent structural reinterpretations highlight the area as a priority for potential gold discovery.
At Little Lake, newly processed gravity data has defined northeast-trending features interpreted to intersect northwest fault systems—structural zones commonly associated with gold mineralisation in the Kalgoorlie district. These trends correlate with previously intercepted basement-hosted gold and offer a compelling test of the Company’s exploration model.
“Commencing drilling at Kanowna East marks an important milestone in Accelerate’s gold strategy,” commented Chief Executive Officer Luke Meter. “We’re testing targets with geological signatures consistent with major orogenic gold systems in the Eastern Goldfields and success could substantially enhance the value of our gold portfolio near Kalgoorlie.”
With a strong financial position, Accelerate remains well-funded to execute its exploration strategy across multiple growth-stage gold assets in WA.
The Company looks forward to updating shareholders as drilling progresses and assays become available.
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This article includes content from Accelerate Resources Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Extensions and New Zones of High Grade Tin at Bygoo North
HIGHLIGHTS
- Scale of Bygoo Tin Project continues to grow with the discovery of new zones of tin mineralisation during the Company’s second RC drilling campaign
- Very broad zone of tin mineralisation at the Stewart’s Lode extended along strike with:
- 118m @ 0.32% Sn from 44m in BRC015 (unconstrained internal dilution); including
- 29m @ 0.53% Sn from 44m, including 8m @ 1.17% Sn from 45m
- 12m @ 0.45% Sn from 116m; and
- 28m @ 0.52% Sn from 146m
- Caspin’s maiden drilling at the Smith’s Lode returns further high-grade tin with:
- 16m @ 0.68% Sn from 49m (BRC013); including
- 5m @ 1.73% Sn & 1.45% Cu from 53m;
- Drilling identifies a further new zone of mineralisation named ‘Radius’, between Dumbrell’s and Smith’s, with:
- 16m @ 0.48% Sn from 124m (BRC016); including
- 2m @ 2.05% Sn & 0.37% Cu from 128m
- Wide zones and high-grade tin mineralisation now drilled over +1,000m of granite contact zone with large gaps in drilling and open along strike.
- High resolution aerial magnetic survey covering ~800km2 to commence shortly
Caspin’s Managing Director, Mr Greg Miles, commented “These results are an exciting epilogue to our maiden drilling program at the Bygoo Project. We are delighted with intersecting 16m @ 0.68% Sn in our first drill hole at Smith’s, including a high-grade zone of 5m @ 1.73% Sn, coupled with 1.45% Cu, the highest-grade copper result by Caspin to date. Another 100m-plus intersection of tin mineralisation at Stewart’s also confirms continuity of ‘bulk’ mineralisation, at very shallow depths. And finally, a new zone of tin mineralisation at ‘Radius’ result demonstrates verifies Caspin’s geological model and growing understanding of key controls to tin mineralisation.
“Most importantly, we now recognise the tin mineralisation potential over greater than 1,000m of shallow granite contact strike at Bygoo North. Drilling is quickly demonstrating that Bygoo North has excellent potential to grow into a tin project with substantial scale. Drilling will continue to target new zones of tin mineralisation and extensions of known areas of shallow tin mineralisation along strike.”
Since acquiring the project, the Company has invested considerable time to understand the geology and controls on mineralisation at Bygoo North. Using the previous exploration data as a base and steadily importing other legacy data such as drilling from the 1970s, the Company is developing a new geological model for the prospect. The Ardlethan Granite contact can now be traced over 1,000m at the prospect, with greisen-style mineralisation developed variably along its entirety (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Location plan of mineralisation and relationship to granite contact at Bygoo North, with significant intercepts. The prospective granite horizon represents the potential for greisen mineralisation on the granite contact to approximately 100m below surface.
These latest results provide further evidence that mineralisation is constrained only by drilling. There are obvious additional drill targets for further exploration. A planned high-resolution aerial magnetic survey, commencing in the following weeks, will further assist refinement of the geological model and hence the targeting process, particularly the several kilometres of untested granite contact to the north and south.
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This article includes content from Caspin Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.