The company’s primary objective for filing the patent application is to protect the unique and efficient processing design that has been developed to bring the Australian Vanadium Project at Gabanintha into production.
The processing circuit is at the core of AVL’s ongoing BFS engineering study as part of the company’s plans to develop the Australian Vanadium Project at Gabanintha, near Meekatharra in Western Australia.
AVL’s primary objective for filing this patent application is to protect the unique and efficient processing design that has been developed by the company on the pathway to bring the Australian Vanadium Project into production.
“Important milestone”
AVL managing director Vincent Algar said: “The positive impact of vanadium in global carbon emission reduction will increase its demand in both steel and battery applications.
“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.”
Patent application
The patent application relates to a specific method of preparing high purity vanadium pentoxide and preparing marketable titanium and iron co-product from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite (VTM), in a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable manner.
It also covers a combination of individual physical beneficiation steps, pyrometallurgical steps and hydrometallurgical steps that are designed to meet the specific objectives of preparing the vanadium product.
The inclusion of a saleable iron-titanium coproduct contributes to the uniqueness of this process.
If granted, the patent will be recognised across 177 countries through the patent convention.
The company also clarifies that the patent application process does not affect the BFS timeline.
Next steps
The submission of the provisional application in Australia establishes a priority date for the invention, which provides a 12-month period in which an international (Patent Cooperation Treaty) patent application can be filed claiming priority.
As a part of the patent application process, a global search of the databases of international patent authorities will be conducted by Wrays Patent and Trademark Attorneys.
The search will focus on a review of existing patents in the field of vanadium ore processing and extraction.
It is anticipated the results will confirm the uniqueness of AVL’s beneficiation and extraction processes and the need for protection of the company’s intellectual property.
According to the company, the process is necessary to fulfil one of AVL’s objectives, which is to protect the company’s inventions as they will be applied in the development of the project and to facilitate licensing of the beneficiation and extraction technology to other vanadium producers, who are developing their own extraction capabilities.
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