[Ferro-Alloys.com] Australian Vanadium has lodged an application to patent the unique vanadium processing flowsheet developed at its namesake WA project.

Australian Vanadium’s (ASX:AVL) processing flowsheet is now the subject of a provisional patent application, which if granted would protect the company’s process innovations and be recognised across 177 countries through the Patent Convention.

The application relates to a specific method of preparing high-purity vanadium pentoxide and preparing a marketable titanium and iron co-product from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite in a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable manner.

It combines physical beneficiation, pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical steps, building on traditional, established roast-leach technology in a way which delivers high recoveries and purities and produces low silica concentrate, along with the titanium and iron co-products.

Roasting improvements have also been shown to lower carbon emissions compared with standard kiln technologies.

The process forms part of the processing circuit at the core of AVL’s ongoing BFS engineering study at the Australian Vanadium Project at Gabanintha. The company said the application would have no impact on the timeframes around the BFS

Managing director Vincent Algar said securing the patent would be a big step for AVL and its shareholders.

“The positive impact of vanadium in global carbon emission reduction will increase its demand in both steel and battery applications,” he said.

“This processing patent application by AVL is another important milestone along the way to production for the company, further enabling the development of the project, and meeting that growing demand.

“One of AVL’s many strengths is the depth of vanadium knowledge within the team and its associates. The innovative work by the team during the study phase has culminated in an insightful processing circuit that has benefits to AVL and the wider vanadium industry.”

The submission of the provisional application in Australia establishes a priority date for the invention, which opens a 12-month window during which applications claiming priority can be filed.

A global search of databases will now be conducted by Wrays Patent and Trademark Attorneys, to review existing patents in the field and confirm the uniqueness of AVL’s processes and the need for intellectual property protection.

AVL said the process was necessary to protect its inventions as they are applied in the development, and to facilitate licensing of the beneficiation and extraction technology to other vanadium producers developing their own extraction capabilities.

Algar recently spoke with Stockhead’s Peter Strachan as part of a vanadium battery technology RockTalk podcast, and ran through the company’s ideal placement between the critical metals and renewable energy thematics on Barry FitzGerald’s The Explorers Podcast.

The BFS currently underway at AVL’s namesake project highlights the company’s focus on vanadium’s green credentials, with global consultancy Advisian engaged to carry out a gap analysis reviewing the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) responsibilities.

AVL is no stranger to ESG – the company has committed to a green hydrogen strategy, its VSUN Energy subsidiary is focused on renewable energy vanadium redox flow batteries, and it is actively committed to community engagement in WA’s Midwest region.

• [Editor:tianyawei]