Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB, OTC:CBBHF) will use its proprietary minerals processing technology to help unlock commercial and environmental value at legacy mine sites as part of a new partnership with Regeneration Enterprises Incorporated.
The partnership will see COB’s technology included in Regeneration’s suite of technologies and services aimed at full-value re-mining and site restoration outcomes.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to see both parties working together to pursue opportunities at legacy mine sites and accelerate development.
Mine waste opportunity
The MoU provides additional scope for Cobalt Blue to re-commercialise pyrite feed streams and other waste deposits in Australia and around the world, addressing a massive opportunity contained in mine waste.
Cobalt Blue has developed and proven the capability of its patented minerals processing technology for treating pyrite with this demonstrating the economic recovery of cobalt and elemental sulphur from pyrite deposits.
Waste Streams Project
The company’s technology is a key component of COB’s global mine waste re-processing and restoration initiative, the Waste Streams Project, led by the company’s project acquisition manager Dr Helen Degeling who is experienced in legacy mine sites and solutions around Australia and has developed commercial contacts throughout the European Union.
This is part of COB’s ‘mine to battery markets’ strategy that also incorporates a planned Cobalt-Nickel Refinery in Western Australia to produce high-quality, responsibly sourced, battery-grade cobalt sulphate to enter critical mineral supply chains along with the Broken Hill Cobalt Project (BHCP) in Far West New South Wales that includes cobalt mining and refining.
Sharing technologies
Under the MoU, Cobalt Blue will be one of Regeneration’s strategic and technology partners where identified roles, responsibilities and inter-relationships will be agreed upon by both parties on a site-by-site basis.
Cobalt Blue and Regeneration envision significant opportunities in utilising Cobalt Blue’s technology and Regeneration’s social benefit approach - with an emphasis on biodiversity and community value creation - to explore, identify, commercialise, and restore sites of mutual interest in Australia and around the world.
“There is power in partnership,” said Regeneration’s founder and chief executive officer Stephen D'Esposito. “Our technology partners are essential. With them we bring value to communities, restore sites and develop a unique product for our downstream partners.”
About Regeneration
Regeneration is a public benefit company, registered in the US state of Delaware. Regeneration seeks to enable biodiversity, community and production of climate-positive minerals for the energy transition, green technologies and sustainable brands through re-mining, reprocessing and restoration of old and existing mine sites.
As a global social enterprise, Regeneration is establishing operations in several jurisdictions, including Australia. Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) is a first, catalytic investor in Regeneration, as well as a site and technology partner.
“See great potential”
“We have been assessing site opportunities for reprocessing mine waste into commercially viable outcomes,” said Dr Degeling.
“We see great potential in exploring shared projects where there is a compatibility between Cobalt Blue’s processing technology and Regeneration’s capacity for full value re-mining, restoration and nature-based solutions.”
This MoU is being executed at a time of strategic importance, with demand for metals and critical minerals increasing as the world turns to electric vehicles and battery storage to power the energy transition.
The recently enacted US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) provide a legislative backdrop that will incentivise responsibly sourced materials. This is rapidly advancing an Allied Nations (US, EU, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia) critical materials supply chain.
“Scope is immense”
Regarding the scale of opportunity contained in mine waste, the International Council on Mining and Metals estimates that nearly 10 billion tonnes of tailings were produced worldwide in 2018 alone across the six traditional commodities of alumina, gold, coal, iron ore, nickel and copper.
“Cobalt Blue sees an enormous opportunity contained in tailings, where traditional mining value chains have long viewed waste as a liability”, said Dr Degeling. “With the vast number of pending mine closures and un-rehabilitated sites in Australia, the scope is immense.
“The potential in Europe is even more significant, with active and inactive mine sites representing thousands of years of mining.
“Through this MoU, we can collaborate and transform these sites into a positive commercial, community and environmental legacy,” she added.