MANGANESE: American Manganese to be granted US patent

VANCOUVER – American Manganese says that as soon as the final paperwork is done and fees paid, the US Patent and Trade Mark Office will grant it protection for its breakthrough electrolytic manganese recovery process. The hydrometallurgical process developed by the company needs little energy or water, and a plant can be assembled from commercially available equipment.

American Manganese says its process is capable of producing high purity electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) and chemical manganese dioxide (CMD) critical for improving performance and safety of lithium ion batteries. The invention bypasses steps known to introduce metallic impurities when producing these materials using conventional mining processes. Impurities can cause short circuits that will bypass any protection circuits, and unfortunately can lead to fires or explosions. The problem was recently noted in airplanes, and it can occur in electric vehicles, cellphones and laptops.

The company is advancing its Artillery Peak manganese project in Arizona. An early preliminary economic assessment examined a 3,500-t/d operation with a 17 year mine life. Please visit AmericanManganeseInc.com.