Researchers get $5M to find nickel, other metals, in Sudbury mine waste (2024)

A research arm of Laurentian University will get $5 million to find ways of recovering nickel, cobalt and copper from mine waste in Sudbury that can be used to make batteries for electric vehicles.

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Jonathan Wilkinson, the federal minister of Energy and Natural Resources, made the announcement in Sudbury on Monday.

The money will go to the Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corp – or MIRARCO – based at Laurentian University.

Wilkinson also announced $5 million for the Electra Battery Materials Corporation. Based in Temiskaming Shores, two-and-a-half hours north of Sudbury, Electra is constructing North America’s only battery-grade cobalt refinery as part of a multiphase effort to build the North American supply chain for battery materials.

“Today’s total investment of $10 million to Electra and MIRARCO will help to advance the development of dynamic and competitive critical minerals value chains in Canada and Northern Ontario,” Wilkinson said in a release. “This funding will increase mineral and energy security, create good jobs and support economic opportunities — supporting our work to build a cleaner Canada and a prosperous, sustainable economy that works for everyone.”

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Funding to the non-profit MIRARCO aims to advance technological readiness of the recovery of battery metals like nickel, cobalt and copper from mine tailings from the Vale and Glencore mines in the Sudbury area while also reducing the long-term social and environmental costs associated with mine waste.

Through this project, MIRARCO will directly feed into the battery supply chain, potentially unlocking significant amounts of nickel and cobalt in Sudbury, the federal government said.

“This $5-million investment will significantly enhance our collaborative efforts to advance bioleaching technologies, fostering sustainable and efficient recovery of battery metals from pyrrhotite-rich tailings,” said Nadia Mykytczuk, MIRARCO’s CEO and president.

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“MIRARCO is committed to delivering these innovative solutions and training the future workforce to help Canada achieve a prosperous and sustainable low-carbon future.”

The area’s two Liberal MPs – Viviane Lapointe (Sudbury) and Marc Serre (Nickel Belt) – also praised the announcement.

“We recognize the time is now to invest in critical minerals. It’s about seizing this time of change and opportunity to create a prosperous economy for all,” Lapointe said. “With these investments in MIRARCO and Electra, we are ensuring Canada remains a global leader in resource extraction and paves the way as we transition to a clean economy.”

“The increasing demand for critical minerals and the products made from them provides Nickel Belt-Greater Sudbury with another opportunity to highlight its industrial diversification, high-quality workforce and sustainable development capabilities,” Serre said.

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Also Monday, the federal government announced it is adding high-purity iron, phosphorus and silicon metal to its critical minerals list, potentially unlocking millions of dollars in funding programs for miners and developers of the three minerals.

The critical minerals list was introduced in 2021, with 31 minerals and metals becoming eligible for special tax credits and other funding streams from the government. The federal government loosely defines critical minerals as having a threatened supply chain, but can be produced in Canada, and essential to the country’s economic and national security or the energy transition.

“Investments in critical minerals projects create good jobs for workers, more avenues for Canadian innovation and lower emissions across the country,” Wilkinson said in Sudbury.

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The list, which is updated every three years, now includes 34 elements, ranging from commonly known base metals such as copper and nickel to more obscure metals like gallium.

Each of the elements added to the list on Monday plays a role in the energy transition.

High-purity iron is essential to making steel, and both the federal and Ontario governments have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help two steelmaking companies lower the emissions profiles of their facilities.

Phosphorus, sometimes called phosphate, can be combined with potash to boost food productivity and food security, Natural Resources Canada said. It is also a primary component in lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are rapidly emerging as an alternative chemistry to lithium-ion batteries. Companies such as Burnaby, B.C.-based Nano One Materials Corp. are focused on refining and licensing their processes to make LFP cathodes.

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“Phosphorus plays a critical role in the production of LFP cathode materials, which are widely used in lithium-ion batteries,” Adam Johnson, a spokesperson at Nano One Materials, said.

Meanwhile, silicon is used in semiconductor chips, which are essential for electronic devices. A semiconductor shortage in recent years forced automakers to curtail production by cutting shifts at certain Canadian auto plants.

The federal government has introduced a range of policies in recent years to benefit companies working in the critical minerals sector. This includes a 30 per cent tax credit for investors in junior mining companies based on the amount of their investment, which essentially allows the company to pass on expenses to their investors to claim as tax credits.

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Natural Resources Canada in 2023 also announced it would begin accepting applications for funding under the $1.5-billion Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund. It said it would look to contribute funds to projects that “address key infrastructure gaps to enable sustainable critical minerals production and to connect resources to markets.”

There is also the Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration Program, which supports “the development of innovative processing technologies for the critical minerals industry.”

– with files from Gabriel Friedman, the Financial Post

sud.editorial@sunmedia.ca

X: @SudburyStar

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