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Nord Precious Metals Secures MICA Investment to Scale Critical Minerals Production from Tailings — TradingView News
Innovative Solutions in Mining: Overcoming Arsenic Challenges with Re-2Ox Technology
In the evolving landscape of mining, Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. stands at the forefront of addressing a significant environmental and economic challenge: the treatment of arsenic in mineral processing. Their groundbreaking Re-2Ox hydrometallurgical system not only offers a solution to a critical industry barrier but also paves the way for sustainable extraction of essential battery metals. This development is crucial as the demand for renewable energy resources continues to surge.
Funding for Advancement and Pilot Testing
On June 23, 2025, Nord Precious Metals announced that it had successfully secured $200,000 in funding from the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network. This grant will facilitate the advancement of their Re-2Ox technology from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 to 7, a crucial step that ushers the technology closer to commercial viability. The funding supports a vital 1,000-hour pilot demonstration at the company’s Temiskaming Testing Labs (TTL) in Ontario, designed to gather performance data that bridges the "valley of death"—the gap between the validation of technology and its market deployment.
Addressing the Arsenic Dilemma
As noted by CEO Frank J. Basa, the mining industry faces a persistent arsenic challenge that hampers global mineral processing capacities. Current methods either avoid arsenic-rich feeds or incur significant disposal costs. In contrast, Re-2Ox processes these challenging inputs effectively, converting a potential liability into an economically viable operation while simultaneously recovering critical minerals vital for the transition to sustainable energy.
Market Potential and Competitive Advantage
Nord’s innovative technology targets a significant market opportunity within the mining sector:
- Total Addressable Market (TAM): Approximately 282 billion tonnes of global tailings are available for processing, with an additional 14 billion tonnes generated annually from active operations.
- Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM): A substantial portion of global tailings contains arsenic, an area where traditional methods have failed.
- Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM): The initial focus is on an estimated 18 million tonnes of tailings within Ontario’s Cobalt Camp, where Nord holds numerous properties.
Re-2Ox can economically process high-arsenic feeds while recovering valuable metals like silver, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Notable performance statistics include:
- Arsenic Capture: Achieves 99% capture as stable scordite.
- Energy Efficiency: Energy consumption is reduced by 80% compared to traditional pyrometallurgical methods.
- Modularity: The technology’s design allows deployment in a compact 40-foot shipping container, facilitating rapid scalability across different sites.
Strategic Synergies and Infrastructure Development
The investment from MICA underscores the importance of integrated technology solutions to address environmental and economic challenges. MICA Network Director Chamirai Charles Nyabeze emphasized that supporting small to medium enterprises (SMEs) is essential for driving economic growth and accelerating the global energy transition.
Nord taps into the existing infrastructure of TTL Labs, the only permitted mineral processing facility in the district, laying the groundwork for various commercialization pathways, including:
- Direct Operations: Transitioning pilot data to scalable modules for commercial use.
- Technology Licensing: Enabling global deployment once the TRL 7 validation is achieved.
- Toll Processing: Generating immediate revenue by processing third-party feeds requiring arsenic remediation.
Technical Validation and Readiness for Market
The progress towards TRL 7 represents a significant milestone for Nord and follows an independent validation by SGS Lakefield. This validation will be pivotal in securing equipment financing, offtake agreements, and necessary funding for mineral production.
Past bench-scale tests validated the technology’s capacity to produce:
- Battery-grade cobalt sulfate compliant with Tier 1 specifications.
- Silver ready for recovery.
- Nickel sulfate with an 81% recovery rate.
- Stable arsenic disposal products meeting regulatory standards.
“Our pilot operation is set to demonstrate the Re-2Ox technology in a real-world production environment,” added Basa, emphasizing the transition from laboratory validation to actual operational effectiveness.
Comparison with Existing Technologies
Unlike traditional processes that struggle with arsenic-rich feeds, Re-2Ox offers a groundbreaking solution aimed at those overlooked by conventional mining technologies. Traditional pyrometallurgical methods often impose penalties or reject arsenic-laden materials entirely, while their fixed infrastructures limit flexibility and increase costs due to stringent emissions regulations.
Emerging modular technologies may mitigate some challenges but necessitate pre-cleaned feeds, which complicates the processing of complex ores common in tailings. Bio-leaching, although promising, often lacks efficiency, particularly concerning the recovery of precious metals, as it requires long processing times under specific conditions.
By contrast, Re-2Ox’s containerized approach allows deployment in varied environments equipped with basic infrastructure—power and water—eliminating hazardous liquid discharge. Instead, it produces marketable arsenic products, making it a compelling option for mining operations globally.
Commercialization Timeline and Future Outlook
With the Recovery Permit application planned for July 1, 2025, Nord aims to achieve:
- Pilot Commissioning Data: Late 2025.
- Validation and Financing Reports: Early 2026.
- First Commercial Deployment: Mid-2026.
- Global Rollout Plans: Targeting multiple operational modules across key mining regions.
Douglas Morrison, President and CEO of CEMI, highlighted the broader implications of Nord’s innovation, emphasizing the need for technological progress on the mine site to bolster productivity and environmental sustainability.
For Nord, these advancements represent lucrative revenue opportunities and potential global licensing arrangements in a market valued at hundreds of billions of tonnes of previously overlooked resources.
By leveraging a multi-metal extraction strategy and established infrastructure, Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. is poised to transform the complexities of mining waste into sustainable resources, reinforcing its position as a leader in the next generation of eco-friendly mining solutions.