CoTec Holdings has signed a binding long-term exclusivity and collaboration agreement with Salter Cyclones to use its Multi-Gravity Separators (MGS) technology for the recovery of iron ore and manganese from primary mining and tailings material.
CoTec officials said they believe the technology could represent a step change in the bulk handling of iron and manganese tailings. It would offer the company the opportunity to produce high-grade critical mineral iron and manganese concentrates from ultra-fine tailings, which are currently classified as waste and sent directly to tailings storage facilities.
Salter’s MGS technology was originally developed in the 1980s by Richard Mozley and has been in operation for many years. It is used to recover valuable metal minerals (tin, chromium, copper, zinc, etc.). However, its application to bulk commodities such as iron and manganese has been limited.
As part of the teaming, CoTec will have an exclusivity period for the application of the MGS to iron ore globally and manganese in the United States as well as South Africa and Brazil for three years. This period can be extended by achieving certain milestones.
CoTec and Salter will actively collaborate on an asset-by-asset basis to apply the technology to identified iron and manganese assets, per the terms of the deal.
“Our initial due diligence of the MGS has produced exciting results from our Lac Jeannine project in Québec, Canada achieving concentrate grades of critical mineral status from ultra-fine iron tailings,” said CEO Julian Treger.
“We plan to build on these results in the coming months, supporting CoTec’s strategy to become a leading supplier of high-grade, low-carbon iron concentrate through the processing of tailings material. The application of the technology to manganese also offers us the opportunity to become a supplier of high-grade manganese concentrate to the steel industry and producers of high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) industry.”
Salter MD Ian Daniels added: “Our technology is highly effective at processing ultrafine tailings material to achieve saleable grade concentrates without the need for chemicals. We believe it is a natural fit with other technologies and strengths within CoTec, which should help to develop new markets for the MGS technology.”
The market opportunity for CoTec is significant, the company pointed out, with millions of tonnes of tailings being produced from ongoing operations as well as historical iron tailings located in the traditional iron ore mining districts of the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and South Africa. The technology offers CoTec the opportunity to target assets in these regions to become a mid-tier producer of high-grade concentrate.
“With the application of the MGS technology to manganese in South Africa and Brazil, CoTec is targeting assets located in two major regions of manganese ore production, which together represent approximately 40% of the global manganese market,” it said. “The exclusive application of the MGS gives CoTec the opportunity to become a supplier of manganese concentrate to the high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate industry in the United States.”
The HPMSM sector is currently dominated by Chinese supply; EV manufacturers will need to establish new sources of supply to mitigate future critical supply risks to meet market demand. To that end, CoTec has already identified multiple sites where the technology could be applied to both historic tailings and ongoing operations.
“CoTec’s strategy is to acquire assets or to enter into joint venture agreements with existing operators where CoTec will either look to treat historic tailings and/or install the MGS machines as part of their current recovery circuit, thereby increasing overall recovery and reducing the amount of material sent to tailings,” the company confirmed. “This technology further supports the strategy of expediting early revenue through low capital, low carbon technologies and brownfield permitting processes.”
Source: CoTec