Green Manganese demonstrates single process critical metals recovery from polymetallic nodules
Initial bench-scale testing achieved over 90% recovery of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper using hydrometallurgical platform, company says.
Green Manganese Technologies has successfully completed early metallurgical assessments, demonstrating its unique hydrometallurgical method can recover various critical metals from polymetallic nodules in a single, integrated process. Polymetallic nodules, located on the deep ocean floor, are rich in nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese - essential components for the battery, electronics, and defense industries.
As interest in ocean-based mineral resources escalates, efficiently processing the diverse mix of metals found in nodules poses a significant hurdle for commercial implementation. Unlike conventional processing methods that employ multi-stage pyrometallurgical smelting, Green Manganese's hydrometallurgical platform is designed to extract all key critical metals from nodules in one seamless procedure.
By circumventing Submerged Arc Furnaces, electrolysis, and numerous conversion stages, the process reportedly consumes up to five times less energy while achieving over 90% recovery of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper simultaneously. The selective dissolution of manganese minerals releases associated critical metals into a unified process solution, while iron minerals transform into hematite, simplifying subsequent handling and generating an additional revenue stream for the recovery of iron, titanium, and rare earth elements, thereby optimizing overall resource utilization.
Green Manganese's CEO, Alexey Demykin, stated in a press release that the unique composition of polymetallic nodules makes them particularly attractive, as they concentrate multiple critical metals within a single rock. "Rather than forcing a next-generation multi-metal feedstock into traditional technologies designed for individual ores, this new era of critical minerals necessitates a fundamental shift in processing," Demykin said.
"By extracting manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper through one integrated hydrometallurgical circuit, we avoid energy-intensive thermal stages altogether, providing a streamlined, low-emission pathway to produce multiple high-value products." Green Manganese's hydrometallurgical system utilizes specialized manganese chemistry to extract the desired metals from complex, manganese-rich materials.
As deep-sea resource developers approach commercial collection stages, the company claims its findings represent a practical approach to streamline nodule processing, laying the groundwork for subsequent pilot-scale testing and commercial partnerships.
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