Cobalt Blue launches new program to examine cobalt recovery from waste streams

Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB) (OTCMKTS:CBBHF) (FRA:COH) has launched a Cobalt in Waste Streams Project aimed at utilising its existing technology and test facilities to examine the recovery of cobalt from waste streams. The company’s research has identified substantial quantities of cobalt in sulphide mine tailings in Australia, and the new program is looking to apply its proprietary technology for recovery of cobalt from these waste streams. Facilities for the Cobalt in Waste Streams Project test-work will be provided at the company’s new Broken Hill-based Pilot Plant “A natural extension” Cobalt Blue’s chief executive officer Joe Kaderavek said: “The Cobalt in Waste Streams Project is a natural extension of our existing capabilities by combining our technical expertise with a global commercial footprint.” The new project forms part of COB’s strategy focused upon maximising payable cobalt whilst participating in the strong growth of the lithium-ion battery market. Unlike the traditional cobalt mining model, COB has an integrated refinery model capable of delivering first an intermediate Mixed Hydroxide product (MHP), which can subsequently be further refined into battery-grade cobalt sulphate. The COB process-block flowsheet. Initial focus on Mt Isa-Cloncurry area Work in the Cobalt in Waste Streams Project will at first focus on desktop reviews of Australian sulphide waste streams potentially containing cobalt, copper and gold, with an initial focus on the resource-rich Mt Isa-Cloncurry district, where COB’s research has identified substantial cobalt in tailings. The objective includes a prioritised set of opportunity targets for deeper investigation. To date, COB has conducted successful test-work at the Millennium Project (cobalt/cobalt/gold) near Cloncurry, providing confidence that its processing technology can be effectively utilised on minerals from the region. In due course, this review will examine opportunities across Australia. Design of equipment COB will also focus early work on the design, source and installation of bench-scale test equipment to complement the existing Pilot Plant facilities at Broken Hill. This will enable the company to complete the majority of test-work ‘in-house’. COB anticipates that subject to the availability of samples, the first Cobalt in Waste Streams Project test-work will begin in the second half of 2021 followed by discussions for commercial development with relevant stakeholders. The Cobalt in Waste Streams Project comes under the company’s COB Partnerships business and is run in parallel with development work for the BHCP. COB development timeline. Global Cobalt Sample Program Supporting the company’s strategies and driven by strong cobalt demand, primarily through expected electric vehicle and energy storage system growth, COB has more than 30 partners in its global Cobalt Sample Program spanning Europe, India, Korea, United States, Japan, China and Australia. Samples for this program will be produced at the Broken Hill Pilot Plant. Government and industry support Also providing support, the company was awarded A$2.4 million of Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) – Project Round 8 Funding from the Australian Government for applied research and development of the processing of cobalt-pyrite ore to generate battery-ready cobalt sulphate over the next three years. COB is also a participant in the Future Battery Industries CRC which was granted A$25 million from the Australian Government in May 2019. Future Battery Industries CRC has a six-year plan to fix gaps identified by industry in the value chain from mining, processing, manufacture, deployment and recycling and there are more than 50 partners in the CRC. COB will primarily participate in the Battery Minerals, Metals and Materials Program that aims to develop sustainable, traceable, cost-effective production pathways for refined battery metals and materials from their primary (natural) and secondary (recycled) resources. Together, the CRC-Project and FBI CRC, provide an opportunity for COB to validate and optimise the technology for the processing of its cobalt-pyrite ore to generate cobalt sulphate for battery manufacture and production of elemental sulphur for use in Australian agriculture and metal processing industries.