Tests show Kasiya graphite battery making potential

Graphite flotation and cleaning test-work conducted on graphite circuit feed from Sovereign Metal’s Kasiya Rutile project in Lilongwe, has shown superior quality graphite.

The tests also show low impurity graphite which is ideal for anodes that can be used in car and industrial batteries.

An anode is a negative electrode and is one of the essential parts of a battery, and is used to convert electronic energy into x-radiation, but also to dissipate the heat created in the process.

The test-works, according to a report from Sovereign Metals The Nation has seen, were completed at multiple independent laboratories in Australia, Canada and South Africa.

Reads the report in part: “Graphite concentrates indicate exceptionally low levels of sulphur compared to typical hard-rock graphite peers ,  a key metric to qualify as active anode the material for lithium-ion batteries.”

The results, report said, are part of the ongoing test-work being undertaken as part of the company’s graphite marketing and active anode qualification strategy.

In his commentary in the report, Sovereign Metal’s managing director Frank Eagar said the ability to upgrade Kasiya ore at 1.4 percent graphite to a 55 percent rougher concentrate without any crushing or milling, highlights the unique qualities of the Kasiya mineral.

He said: “There are very limited other graphite projects with these characteristics. The pilot-scale results also confirm that Kasiya produces high-grade concentrates with very low sulphur levels at high recoveries.

“Simply put, Kasiya will be a standout producer of high-quality graphite concentrate at industry low operating costs.”

In an earlier interview, mining expert Grain Malunga said there was a need for the country to make serious investments in the extractive industry, calling for development of laboratories.

He also asked State mining firms to safeguard the precious minerals the country has.

“We have to find a way of raising money to have these facilities like laboratories in place and we can leverage current mining projects. It is more expensive to ship samples to South Africa, more than the value of the sample itself,” Malunga said.

In his 2024/25 budget statement, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda said the government has completed registration of the Malawi Mining Company under the Malawi Development Corporation Holdings Limited.