Australian resource company TNG (ASX: TNG) has engaged Finnish engineering firm Metso Outotec to assess the use of hydrogen reduction in minimising carbon emissions from processing operations at the Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project in the Northern Territory.
Metso will complete a study considering the use of hydrogen gas as a single reductant within TNG’s proprietary TIVAN hydrometallurgical process.
The gas would be added after titanomagnetite concentrate from Mount Peake has been transferred to a rotary kiln, replacing coke which is traditionally used to reduce iron oxides in the concentrate to metallic iron.
As part of its brief, Metso will investigate the integration of its own Circored hydrogen-based technology to the TIVAN flowsheet with the aim of reducing the project’s net carbon footprint.
It will also prepare preliminary capital and operating costs for a Circored plant to enable TNG to evaluate the hydrogen reduction processing option in detail.
In parallel to the study, TNG said it will engage with Australian laboratories to test the downstream flowsheet using hydrogen-reduced concentrate generated by Metso.
Initial testwork
The new study follows initial testwork by Metso which confirmed the suitability of Mount Peake titanomagnetite concentrate as a feedstock for a preliminary assessment of the suitability of a hydrogen reductant.
The testwork was a precursor to a more detailed commercial and technical evaluation and achieved iron metallisation targets across a range of testwork parameters.
It also demonstrated the viability of processing Mount Peake titanomagnetite concentrate with Metso’s Circored technology and generated samples for downstream validation testwork.
Building on results
TNG managing director and chief executive officer Paul Burton said the new study will build on the positive testwork results.
“We are very encouraged by the opportunity to potentially reduce carbon emissions from the processing operation at Mount Peake by using Metso’s Circored technology… it complements our existing partnership with [Germany’s] SMS group to investigate green hydrogen production at the project,” he said
“We aspire to develop Mount Peake into a class leader in terms of carbon emissions and the use of renewable energy, and we are actively assessing opportunities across the mining and processing operation to help us achieve this objective.”
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