Norilsk Process Technology

Norilsk Process Technology holds numerous patents for key technologies required for the Activox® process.

Norilsk Process Technology is located in Osborne Park, Western Australia. Its key activities are:

• Metallurgical testwork, focused on testing with high quality results to enable sound process development
• Operations support, ensuring process and operational improvement to Norilsk Nickel operations
• Process engineering, providing flowsheet design and process modeling
• Technical development, aimed at process improvement creating technical opportunities for the future

Western Minerals Technology was formed in 1998 as a specialist developer of hydrometallurgical technology with a major focus on commercializing the Activox® process, with 80% LionOre ownership and 20% Aqueous Metallurgy share. The company purchased intellectual property assets from Dominion Mining, including the Activox® technology, developed by Dominion in 1990-2998 for treatment of Yakabindie nickel concentrates. In 2006 LionOre acquired Aqueous Metallurgy and renamed the unit into LionOre Technology, appointing Gary Johnson as Managing Director. Following LionOre acquisition by Norilsk Nickel, this asset was renamed to Norilsk Process Technology.

Activox®

Activox® is a low temperature, low pressure process for the oxidation of sulphide minerals that utilizes a combination of fine grinding followed by pressure oxidation under mild conditions.

Key features of the Activox® hydrometallurgical process:

• Improves metal recoveries
• Lowers operating costs
• Unlocks marginal orebodies (e.g. Selkirk)
• Treats impurities (e.g. impurities in Honeymoon Well)
• Alternative for treating “problem” concentrates not suited to smelting
• Produces LME nickel & copper cathodes
• Combination of Activox® & pyrometallurgy can maximise smelter throughput efficiencies
• Flexible to produce either intermediate for refining or fully integrated SX/EW refining process

Activox® vs traditional processing flowchart