Mr. Adriaan Bakker reports

VANADIUMCORP-ELECTROCHEM PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY ("VEPT") PCT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PATENT APPLICATION "WO 2018/1152628 (A1)" PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has officially published the patent co-operation treaty (PCT) of the international patent application WO 2018/152628 (A1) on Aug. 30, 2018, entitled: "Metallurgical and chemical process for recovering vanadium and iron values from vanadiferous titanomagnetite and vanadiferous feedstocks."

The jointly owned Vanadiumcorp-Electrochem (Vanadiumcorp Resource Inc. and Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc.) processing technology (VEPT) describes a novel chemical process invented by Dr. Francois Cardarelli that addresses the recovery of vanadium, iron, titanium and silica feedstocks such as vanadiferous titano-magnetite, iron ores and concentrates, such as magnetite and hematite, vanadium containing wastes, such as BOF-slags, and other industrial byproducts also containing vanadium.

The process consists to digest the vanadiferous feedstocks into concentrated sulphuric acid. The exothermic sulphation reaction allows operating quasi-autogenously while producing a sulphation cake and hence minimizing the energy consumption drastically compared with smelting processing methods used iron and steel producers. The dissolution of the sulphation cake with minimum amount of water yields a dense pregnant solution and reduces significantly the water usage compared with the conventional roasting process utilized by existing primary vanadium producers. After reducing electrochemically, the pregnant solution is subjected to chilling and crystallization yielding pure crystals of ferrous sulphate heptahydrate (also named copperas). The process further recovers titanium by hydrolysis from the iron-depleted solution, thereby producing a vanadium-bearing pregnant solution. The further concentration by evaporation and then a sequence of chilling and crystallization yield vanadyl sulphate as key precursor for the preparation of vanadium electrolyte (VE) used in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) or for preparing various vanadium chemicals.

"The publication of the PCT for VEPT represents a major milestone for the Vanadiumcorp-Electrochem process technology. A special thanks to Dr. Francois Cardarelli, through his diligent work, expertise and joint partnership with Vanadiumcorp, has significantly increased the scope of feedstock capacity and commercial applicability from VEPT's announced invention and provisional patent application in February, 2017. Vanadiumcorp is committed to near-term commercial demonstration of VEPT, and the publication of the PCT patent application allows for the next phase required for potential commercialization and global deployment. For vanadium specifically, VEPT addresses the largest industry challenges relating to price volatility and high-carbon footprint in the current vanadium market. With VEPT, vanadium is recovered directly from virtually any feedstock with high efficiency and negligible carbon footprint," said Adriaan Bakker, chief executive officer and president of Vanadiumcorp.

"This milestone was a mandatory step for securing our joint IP with Vanadiumcorp and before initiating the national entry phases for key jurisdictions where negotiations are ongoing with industrial partners for the optioning/licensing of the technology. Moreover, the novelty and industrial applicability of the patent-pending technology is a perfect addition with our patented iron electrowinning process aiming for commercial deployment here in Quebec and abroad constructing a fully integrated plant," said Dr. Francois Cardarelli, president of Electrochem Technologies.

Vanadiumcorp Resource is developing and exploring licensing potential for an innovative, disruptive process technology that unlocks a new strategic supply of vanadium and co-products such as titanium. Jointly developed and owned with Electrochem, this innovative chemical process allows for an integrated and low-carbon footprint recovery of critical metals needed on a global scale. Vanadiumcorp also holds a significant vanadium-titanium-iron-bearing resource base in mining-friendly Quebec, Canada.