Giyani Metals, developer of the K.Hill Battery-Grade Manganese Project in Botswana, is pleased to announce that High Purity Manganese Oxide has been produced at the Demonstration Plant in Johannesburg.

Key highlights of the production process

• A key milestone was achieved during February with the production of HPMO, a precursor for the production of High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate, and also a precursor for certain electric vehicle and energy storage system batteries. HPMO samples are expected to be shipped in March to prospective offtake partners.
• HPMO is becoming the preferred precursor for the rapidly growing market for Lithium-Manganese-Iron-Phosphate and Lithium-Manganese-Nickel-Oxide EV and ESS batteries. Whilst HPMSM is the preferred precursor for Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt EV and ESS batteries, HPMO and HPMSM can both be used to produce LMFP and LMNO batteries.

• Giyani has received indications of demand for HPMO from OEM groups, and intends to produce both HPMO and HPMSM in order to give the Company technological and product optionality, enabling it to maintain pace with the rapidly developing battery market, and be able to serve the majority of potential future battery types.
• The Demo Plant remains on track to produce HPMSM during Q1 2025. Samples of HPMSM will then be provided to potential offtakers to begin qualification trials as part of the offtake process, which will form an integral component of Project Financing.
• The Demo Plant’s secondary objective is to significantly derisk the Commercial Plant (to be constructed in Botswana) design in parallel with the Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”), which is underway and expected to be completed in 2025.
• The Giyani team is attending the PDAC conference in Toronto this week, with a full schedule of offtaker, investor, and strategic meetings.

Charles FitzRoy, President and CEO of the Company, commented: “Production of HPMO from the Demo Plant is a huge milestone. It proves the flowsheet at this precommercial scale, confirms Giyani’s technological optionality to be able to serve the rapidly evolving battery industry, and diversifies Giyani’s product risk. A fantastic achievement from all the team and now onto the next step of producing HPMSM, which is anticipated in Q1 2025.

The commercial advantages of producing multiple battery-grade manganese products cannot be overstated. The battery market is moving exponentially quickly, and the dual capability of being able to produce both HPMO and HPMSM allows Giyani to position itself as a preferred supplier in this fast-paced industry. LMFP battery demand is increasing and will likely take a large market share from LFP batteries, and in turn will increase demand for battery-grade manganese in both HPMSM and HPMO form.”

The construction of the Demo Plant, which consists of nine Process Modules (each a self-contained process system within a fixed frame), is complete. The Production ramp-up (C5 Commissioning) phase has advanced, and the team continues to work determinedly towards the first production of HPMSM. The Demo Plant materially advanced Hot Commissioning (C4 Commissioning) during February 2025. C4 and C5 commissioning naturally progress in parallel in the final stages of commissioning.

Commissioning challenges have included power outages, water supply disruptions, and engineering and technical challenges, the majority of which were expected and mitigated during February 2025.

The Demo Plant also enables final optimization of the engineering design and flowsheet to reduce operating costs and carbon profile, in parallel with the DFS, which is underway and expected to be completed in 2025. The Demo Plant laboratory, independently installed and operated by Quality Lab Services (QLS, a Minopex company), continues to operate as planned, with full analytical surveys completed during the ordinary course of operations.

Stages of commissioning

• C1 – Full mechanical completion (individual Process Modules)
• C2 – Dry testing, direction testing, loop testing (individual Process Modules)
• C3 – Cold/Water Commissioning, software testing (individual Process Modules)
• C4 – Hot Commissioning with reagents and steam (typically full Process)
• C5 – Production Ramp-up (full Process)

In addition to progress at the Demo Plant, concurrent metallurgical test-work is underway to further optimize the flowsheet. Giyani is focused on further reducing reagent use and improving both the operating cost and carbon profiles for the Commercial Plant, planned for construction adjacent to Giyani’s extensive 100% owned manganese oxide ore sources in Southern Botswana.

The Demo Plant is designed at a scale factor of approximately 1:10 to the planned Commercial Plant. This provides a robust and reliable scale-up from the Demo Plant data when the Commercial Plant is implemented. To illustrate, the leach tanks have a 60 cm diameter in the Demo Plant, and this is expected to be 8-10x larger at approximately 5 m in the Commercial Plant.

Alongside the engineering, commercial, and research benefits of the Demo Plant, the availability of mature Standard Operating Procedures will facilitate a smooth transition to full-scale commercial production.

The laboratory, and all the procedures and methods associated with it, can be transferred directly to the Commercial Plant, enabling a tried and tested laboratory set-up available on Day 1 of Commercial Plant commissioning.

Click here to learn more about Electric Vehicle Batteries listed on everything PE.