Blackstone Minerals Ltd. Metso will be the technology supplier for the final feasibility study of the company's pCAM(Precursor cathode active Material) processing plant at its Ta Khoa refinery in Vietnam.
Metso has been involved in the design of the pCAM plant and will conduct independent pCAM testing work to verify the suitability of nickel and cobalt sulfates generated in the pilot project for pCAM production.
Metso is currently working with Wood to design the pCAM plant, providing experience and engineering support.
Scott Williamson, Managing Director of Blackstone Mining Limited, said: "Blackstone intends to leverage Metso's engineering services and expertise to design the pCAM facility, thereby reducing project risk and confirming Blackstone's intention to be a true player in the pCAM space. Securing another world leader for the Ta khoa project is another piece in the battery value chain puzzle. Blackstone looks forward to further success as it moves towards developing the most environmentally friendly and resilient nickel business in the world."
In the context of pCAM facility design, Blackstone highlighted Oems' high-value technologies, such as the modular OKTOP reactor (with industrial references for scaling up pCAM precipitation processes), Larox filtration technology, and Courier HX continuous product quality analyzer equipment for precise control and real-time optimization.
"Metso has demonstrated that precursors precipitated using OKTOP reactor technology can meet the chemical and physical properties required for high-performance cathode active materials," Metso said.
Rudi Rautenbach, Metso's Director of Mineral Sales for Asia Pacific, said: "We are confident that our experience in nickel processing and battery metal technology will contribute positively to this project. Many of the products we plan to use in this project have been selected from our Planet Positive product range that are significantly more energy or water efficient than industry benchmarks or Metso's previous generation market products to help our customers reduce CO2 emissions and achieve other sustainability priorities. We believe these are in line with Blackstone's goal of developing the greenest and most resilient nickel business in the world."
Metso says it provides sustainable technology and equipment for the entire lithium, nickel and cobalt production chain, from mines to battery materials to the bulk recycling of black, with projects ranging from equipment packaging to factory delivery. Metso has its own pCAM testing facility.
A pre-feasibility study for the 90% owned Ta Khoa project in February 2022 outlined first concentrate production in 2025, reaching an annual capacity of 8 million tonnes per year by 2027. The Company expects average steady state annual production of nickel (concentrate recovery) to be approximately 18,000 tons/year and average steady state annual production of nickel concentrate to be approximately 225,000 tons/year. The project also has a smelting capacity of 400,000 tons per year and will begin production of NCM811 precursor materials in early 2025.
