TSX-listed Giyani Metals Corporation has announced that its demonstration plant for processing material from the K.Hill manganese project has entered the detailed fit-out phase, with all modular process units successfully installed.
The company has begun cabling and piping work to connect the modules, preparing for the plant’s commissioning. Minopex, a subsidiary of consultancy DRA Global, will operate the plant, located in Johannesburg, South Africa, while the K.Hill project itself is in Botswana.
Commissioning is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2024, with targeted production of 600 kg per day of battery-grade manganese. This output will be supplied to offtake partners for testing and qualification.
Giyani is also working with Johannesburg-based CM Solutions on metallurgical testing to optimize the process flowsheet, aiming to improve efficiency.
The company is conducting simulation tests using Yokogawa Distributed Control System software to manage the demo plant, which will run as a continuous process rather than a batch operation.
One significant improvement is the elimination of hydrofluoric acid from the process, reducing the need to store and handle hazardous chemicals at both the demo plant and the planned commercial facility in Botswana.
The continuous process flow offers Giyani the ability to operate the demo plant at a steady state, ensuring consistent production of battery-grade manganese.
This reliability is key for satisfying potential offtake partners’ requirements for product consistency and production rates.
The demo plant serves as a smaller-scale replica of the proposed commercial plant in Botswana, providing critical data to optimize the larger facility’s engineering design. These findings will be detailed in a definitive feasibility study expected in 2025.
“Successful construction and operation of the demo plant will showcase the inherent value of the project to investors.
This facility is invaluable for optimizing our proprietary flowsheet and reducing operating costs, ultimately advancing Giyani’s development as a producer of high-grade manganese for the electric vehicle battery market,” said CEO and President Charles FitzRoy.
