JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South Africa’s team of local battery material champions are planning first-mover advances into new geographies.
Mining Weekly can today report that Thakadu Battery Materials, which is producing high-purity battery-grade nickel sulphate for export, has a pipeline of new projects in place that will involve the use of the locally developed intellectual property, proven process technology and first-mover advantage to fast-track other assets under development in Southern Africa and North America.
In what is a huge story of world-class local innovation, Thakadu, operating as a completely independent startup, has succeeded in turning platinum group metal- (PGM-) linked nickel solution into sought-after battery material that is helping to make the world a greener place.
Thakadu’s newly commissioned $20-million nickel sulphate refinery in North West province receives the nickel solution from the base metals refinery (BMR) of PGMs mining company Sibanye-Stillwater and then removes the solution’s impurities down to parts-per-million levels through advanced chemistry.
The cathode battery material it produces is already fetching premium prices in major global export markets.
For the rest of this article: https://www.miningweekly.com/article/local-battery-material-champions-planning-first-mover-advances-into-new-geographies-2021-03-15/rep_id:3650