Firebird Metals Ltd (ASX:FRB, OTC:FRBMF) has signed a development agreement with Zhongji Sunward Technology Co, Ltd (Sunward), a leading producer of rotary tunnel kilns used in many chemical plants across China, to co-fund Firebird’s energy-saving calcining unit design.
The patent-pending calcining technology reduces energy usage by 80%, offering further enhancements to the company’s proposed Battery Grade High-Purity Manganese Sulphate Plant, in Jinshi, Hunan Province, China.
Firebird says its calcinating unit has broad industrial applications – Sunward has agreed to pay a 5% royalty on future sales revenue for the units and Firebird retains the right to collaborate with other manufacturers.
Proof-of-concept for system
“This agreement with Sunward, which is a leading engineering and research design company in China, is further validation of the excellent and sector-leading work that our team in China is executing,” Firebird Metals managing director Peter Allen said.
“Further, Sunward is a great example of the high-quality calibre of the partners we are attracting in China, as we progress the development of our proposed battery-grade manganese plant in China.
“The agreement with Sunward is a great way for us to determine the commercial viability of the energy recycling system that we have developed and if the technology works on a commercial scale, it could lead to significant operating cost reductions in our manganese sulphate plant.
“I would like to thank our growing team in China, who continue to develop innovative processes to ensure we move further down the cost curve from the competitive numbers outlined in our feasibility study, as we work towards near-term production of high-purity manganese.”
Sunward will fund 50% of the cost of a pilot plant for the calcinating units, which is expected to cost about US$200,000, and will be responsible for the detailing engineering design and manufacturing of the pilot plant.
Firebird expects the plant to be complete within two months – data collected from testing will be used to inform the current project design.
The company says it will continue to focus on delivering energy-efficient improvements through its proprietary technologies.
Firebird believes the Energy-Saving Calcining Technology and 5th Generation Crystallization Technology strengthen its “compelling opportunity to rapidly develop into a low-cost producer of high-purity manganese sulphate”.