Mining News: Northern Neighbors: Fortune produces battery grade cobalt from Nico concentrates

Fortune Minerals Ltd. Jan. 8 reported that battery-grade cobalt sulfate heptahydrate has been produced from a cobalt sulfate product previously mined in a pilot plant from concentrates originating at its Nico gold-gold bismuth-copper project in Northwest Territories. The premium-grade cobalt sulphate heptahydrate sample, produced by SGS Canada Inc., exceeds the specifications of several large lithium-ion battery manufacturers. It was produced to provide a product for testing by a potential off-take customer. The sample also was produced to test minor changes to the process flow sheet for Fortune’s proposed refinery in Saskatchewan. Fortune plans to develop Nico as a vertically integrated project comprised of a mine and concentrator in the Northwest Territories and the Saskatchewan refinery, where it plans to process concentrates from the mine to higher value products including gold, cobalt, bismuth and copper. The cobalt market has increased significantly over the past two decades, primarily due to metals used in high performance rechargeable batteries for portable electronic devices, electric vehicles and stationary storage cells.

- Shane Lasley