
October 23, 2022
Firebird Metals Limited (ASX: FRB) (“Firebird” or “the Company”) is pleased to provide a development update on its flagship Oakover Manganese Project (“Oakover”).
Highlights
- Hydrometallurgical testwork program ongoing, with initial leaching testwork delivering very positive results of up to 97% Mn extraction in 4 hours
- Following excellent results of the hydrometallurgical program, Firebird has immediately commenced work on a battery grade High Purity Manganese Sulphate Scoping Study
- Commencement of impurity precipitation testwork, a key stage of the Scoping Study
- Importance of Manganese within battery cathodes (both NMC and LFP chemistries) continues to grow
Commenting on the impressive testwork results and development progress being made at Oakover, Firebird Managing Director Peter Allen said “Successful completion of initial leaching testwork and the positive results generated provides Firebird with a very strong base to springboard into further testwork and complete a Scoping Study on battery grade High Purity Manganese Sulphate. Importantly, we are investigating and progressing exciting processing options which are focused on utilising the entire Oakover resource.
“We are excited to commence work on the battery grade High Purity Manganese Sulphate Scoping Study. The development of this process is a very important pillar of the Firebird strategy and one that if successfully completed and placed into operation, will deliver significant, long-term shareholder value.
Hydrometallurgical Test Program Completed
Firebird has completed successful leaching testwork on each ore domain from Oakover, which is the first stage of testwork required for developing and producing High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HPMSM) for the Battery Industry.
Multiple scouting leaching tests were completed on Oakover Mn feed, which had been crushed, screened and scrubbed, but not beneficiated further (ore sorted/DMS).
Testwork feed was generated from diamond drill core from all manganese ore domains at Sixty Sixer, Jay- Eye and Karen deposits.
This round of testwork proved very effective and delivered excellent Mn extraction results and importantly, provides to the Company with ideal stoichiometric ratios for next stage precipitation reactions and impurity removal, with a view to ultimately produce HPMSM crystals.
Key results from the program include:
- Ore amenable to reductive acidic leaching
- 93-97% Mn extraction in 4 hours
- Heat generated by the reaction
- Mn concentrations of 70-140 g/l in Pregnant Leach Solution
High-Purity Manganese Sulphate Scoping Study Underway
Following positive results from the initial stage of the hydrometallurgical testwork program, Firebird has immediately commenced a HPMSM Scoping Study.
Key focus areas of the Scoping Study comprise of:
- Further leaching test work
- Conducting impurity precipitation and removal test work
- Conducting HPMSM crystallization testwork on purified liquors
- Confirming hydrometallurgical flowsheet concept using testwork and simulation
- Conducting preliminary cost studies, targeting most economic process for production of HPMSM
- Combining key development aspects from the Manganese Concentrate Scoping Study
- Marketing study on the industry demand/supply and pricing
Firebird will now move to the next phase of testing which is impurity removal. This is a critical step in the processing phase, with successful completion required to meet strict specifications for production of battery grade high purity manganese sulphate.
Firebird expects the timeframe for completion of the Scoping Study to be within the next 12 months.
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This article includes content from Firebird Metals 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.
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27 September 2023
Firebird Metals
Overview
Firebird Metals (ASX:FRB) is an Australian mining company that’s well-positioned to develop a new manganese mining operation in Western Australia with a strategy to become a global battery cathode producer supporting a rapidly expanding electric vehicle market.
Batteries currently represent the largest non-alloy market for manganese, accounting for roughly 3 percent of global annual manganese consumption. The metal has a long history of being used as a cathode material in batteries, both in its natural form and in the form of electrolytic manganese dioxide. That includes modern lithium-ion batteries, the supply and manufacturing chain for which could potentially grow by over 30 percent annually from now through 2030.
Manganese-rich batteries are increasingly being held up as an alternative to standard lithium-ion batteries, leading to an expected exponential demand for the mineral. Tesla alone has already committed to producing manganese-based batteries for two thirds of its supply, owing to the metal's relative abundance and lower cost compared to nickel and cobalt.
Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) represents one of the most prominent phosphate battery configurations. In recent years, however, the business case for using manganese as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, known as lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), has become stronger. LMFP not only improves the battery’s energy density, but also increases capacity by up to 20 percent. LMFP batteries also perform better in low-temperature environments.
As LFP rapidly nears its theoretical energy density capacity, the rise of LMFP batteries as a replacement is all but inevitable as the world continues its slow march towards electrification and sustainable energy. Consequently, this means that demand for battery-grade manganese is set to explode in the coming years. And Firebird Metals is more than ready to step in and provide some much-needed supply.
Firebird maintains ownership over a massive manganese resource in Western Australia's Pilbara region in the form of its flagship Oakover project. Characterised by near-surface mineralisation, Oakover houses an estimated 176.65 million tons (Mt) of manganese across several different targets. Because of Oakover's favourable geology, Firebird can potentially leverage Oakover to supply not just the battery market but also multiple other industries, such as steel, all through a low-cost, simple mining operation.
The end result? Significant returns for investors — a projection only further emphasised by the impressive results returned by a recent concentrate scoping study on the project. Firebird maintains several other projects in Australia as well, including the Oakover-like Hill 616 and the exploration-focused Wadanya.
Firebird's long-term strategy reaches far beyond Australia's borders, however. From mining to downstream processing, the company's vision is to become a global cathode producer. For that, Firebird is looking to China, which to date accounts for roughly 90 percent of global manganese sulphate demand.
In early September 2023, the company announced its plans to establish a processing plant in China, noting to investors that an in-house scoping study was already well underway. According to Firebird's managing director Peter Allen, the construction of this plant represents the next phase of major growth for Firebird. As with the rest of Firebird's operations, this new plant will be constructed with the company's ESG methodology front of mind, ensuring transparency and accountability in addition to human welfare, support for local communities and environmental sustainability.
This plan, should it proceed apace, has the potential to make an enormous impact on global manganese supply — all while positioning Firebird as a cost-competitive player in the manganese sulphate market and a promising investment opportunity.
Company Highlights
- An Australian junior exploration company, Firebird Resources is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing demand for manganese as the rapidly expanding electric vehicle market and global electrification continue to ramp up.
- Firebird maintains ownership of a massive manganese resource in Australia with significant growth potential.
- A recent concentrate scoping study confirmed the potential and profitability of the company's flagship project, Oakover, situated in Western Australia's Pilbara region.
- Firebird's long-term goal involves leveraging its manganese resource to position itself as a leading global producer of manganese sulphate for the battery industry.
- The company is currently embarking on a scoping study with plans to build a manganese sulphate plant in China. This will allow it to gain a foothold in the Chinese market, which currently accounts for 90 percent of global manganese sulphate demand.
- This study represents the next phase of major growth for Firebird, and is a significant part of the company's overall strategy to establish itself as a near-term producer of battery-grade high-purity manganese sulphate.
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