Member Info for crumbs

'Malawi may become Africa’s top rare earths miner by 2029, with Benchmark forecasts indicating 30% of the continent’s supply will come from the country’s two pipeline mines, Songwe Hill and Kagankunde by that year.

https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/rise-of-african-rare-earths-bolsters-supply-pipeline-for-china-and-the-west

'The project is part of the government-funded Re-Rewind scheme, a partnership between industry and academia – spearheaded by EMR – which aims to create a circular supply chain for the rare earth magnets used within modern wind turbines.

Research and development projects to boost magnet-reclamation will also be based at the new processing centre.'

https://www.scotsman.com/business/wind-turbine-recycling-hub-in-repurposed-warehouse-turns-renewable-energy-greener-4679526

It's a No from me

There's a whiff in the air! :) The trouble is we have had so many 'this must be it!' moments that we have to be a little suspicious of the Malawi Gov and that this may again turn out to be just more of their BS....

Still, I'm ever the optimist and I don't think MKAs problem is the Ministry of Mining I think it is other parts of the Malawi Gov which is why seeing the President attending this event is a positive sign that something may well get pushed over the line

Fingers toes and everything else crossed....

Still determined to have themselves a mining industry :)

'Ministry of Mining Malawi with Hon Monica Chang'anamuno - Minister of Mining.

Malawi to Host The Inaugural Malawi Mining Investment Forum

Ministry of Mining is excited to announce a groundbreaking initiative to host the first-ever Mining Investment Forum in Malawi at the Bingu wa Mutharika International Convention Centre (BICC), from April 23 to April 24, 2024 under the theme “Transforming the Nation through Sustainable Mineral Extraction".

This Forum will serve as a platform for industry leaders, stakeholders, and experts to come together and discuss the future of mining in our country.

Making the announcement in Lilongwe at the Ministry’s headquarters, Minister of Mining Monica Chang’anamuno MP, said one of the highlights of this forum is the presence of our esteemed President, H.E. Dr. Lazorus McCarthy Chakwera who will join us to share his vision and insights on the importance of the mining sector in driving economic growth and development in Malawi.

“We believe that this forum will catalyze discussions, foster collaborations, and pave the way for innovative strategies that will shape the future of mining in our nation. We are committed to creating a conducive environment for investment in the mining sector and we look forward to fruitful deliberations at the upcoming forum,” Chang’anamuno said.

The Theme of the Forum is underpinning the importance of the mining sector to the national development agenda as outlined in the Malawi 2063 Vision and further expounded through the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) Strategy.

'In the UK, the University of Birmingham has developed a method for extracting rare earth alloys from old electric motors and computer hard drives, for example.

A spin out company, HyProMag, has now successfully extracted rare earths using the technology, and aims to begin commercial production of magnets using such material later this year.'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68629800

I wouldn't be surprised if we also don't end up having some form of commercial tie-up with Bunting beyond the current research one

To us in this article but nice to see more coverage and HyproMag getting the message out

https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/rare-earth-magnet-recycling-technology-branches-out/

“Recycling is on everyone’s agenda: you cannot have strategic minerals like rare earths getting lost in landfill,” Dawes said.'

'Since dismantling is a costly and energy-intensive process, Dawes said, HyProMag’s “big solution” is the separation process resulting in magnet powder, which has lower costs and a lower carbon footprint compared with both long loop hydrometallurgical recycling processes and conventional mine-to-magnet production.'

I'm super excited to see how this all plays out... our BOD ain't stupid they know they need to hold onto as much of HyproMag as possible which is why they didn't sell off more of it to Cotec or indeed anyone else instead of raising ... cashing in on the mining assets will no doubts be the next strategic manoeuvre, how easy that is with this Malawian Gov is anyone's guess

So as many suspected he was hired mainly for HyproMag purposes:

'Finally, the company has appointed Robert Harward, a retired Vice Admiral, US Navy, SEAL and a senior defence technology executive to the board of CoTec. Mr. Harward will be focused on supporting and guiding HyProMag USA in the application for US Government Grant support and long-term strategic supply of Rare Earth permanent magnets to US Government Prime contractors.'

Support and guidance basically meaning... I'll call me mates up and let them in on a good thing :)

I just imagine a 100% recycled magnet economy in the EU and HyproMag potentially being the solution if they now can produce 100% recycled and effective magnets with no need for any raw material input...surely HyproMag is going to be getting a lot of attention from manufacturers that utilise RE magnets in their products now the CRMA is passed. They have legal obligations regarding recycling....

Still media silence from the guys but I reckon a huge amount is going on.... Whilst share wise I'll just nibble away like I have today :)

And:

'Recyclability of Permanent Magnets

One of the measures the Regulation provides for, in Article 27, is the recyclability of permanent magnets. Any company placing MRI devices, wind energy generators, industrial robots, motor vehicles, light means of transport, cooling generators, heat pumps, electric motors, on the market, even if they are integrated in washing machines, tumble dryers, microwaves, vacuum cleaners or dishwashers, will have to ensure that those products bear a label indicating what type of permanent magnets they incorporate, such as neodymium-iron-boron, samarium-cobalt, aluminium-nickel-cobalt or ferrite.

Most importantly, the Regulation says the following information regarding permanent magnets in products will have to be included in the digital product passport (exceptions may apply, for more information refer to Article 27, Paragraph 5):

Contact information of the producer.

Weight, location and chemical composition of all individual permanent magnets included in the product as well as the presence and type of magnet coatings, glues and additives used.

Information enabling access and removal of all permanent magnets incorporated in the product (incl. steps, tools, technologies needed).

Having easy access to these details will not only ensure the longevity of certain household products and promote refurbishment and repair practices but assist raw material extraction processes.

Magnets are vital components found in various household electronics (e.g. speakers, electric motors etc.) and are essential to tap into renewable energy sources. Speakers, for example, produce sound by the interaction of a permanent magnet and electromagnet. While wind turbines use magnets in their generators which play a crucial role in converting the mechanical energy from the spinning blades into electrical energy. In the case of heat pumps, magnets can be found in the electric motors that drive the pumps or fans. Being able to recycle these “common products” is a must to recover valuable materials such as neodymium.

Reinforcing this the importance and scarcity of critical raw materials, after 31 December 2030, a delegated act may lay down minimum recycled content for neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium, terbium, boron, samarium, nickel and cobalt in the permanent magnet incorporated in the products mentioned above'

https://ce-rise.eu/news/permanent-magnets-digital-product-passport/

'100% Recycled Magnets made with the HPMS Process

by Abeshaa Mahendran of Hypromag

Hypromag utilises the patented HPMS (Hydrogen Processing of Magnetic Scrap) process in order to liberate NdFeB magnet material from end of life components. Through the use of the HPMS process and recycling back to sintered magnets, there is a reduction of 98% in human toxicity and 85% of the energy used when compared to primary production. HyProMag’s current magnet manufacturing scheme uses a small addition of virgin material to ensure the retention of magnetic properties. The work presented herein explores the use of 100% secondary material for creation of magnets, for use in specific applications. Unlocking the potential for 100% recycled magnets has significant downstream benefits, while simultaneously unlocking additional opportunities in the marketplace.'

https://ukmagsoc.org/events/navigating-the-critical-materials-landscape-from-rare-earth-free-magnets-to-magnet-recycling/

The UK always acts like this... we have amazing University techs that get piecemeal grants that take them so far but no further, and then someone swoops in and buys that UK IP. for a song... As in here, I will not be surprised to see US GOV or US DOD completely pay for all 3 US recycling plants taking the company right to the point of commercial viability so $50 million straight in no probs but from UK you are lucky to get near a million even though as you say this is a no brainer and needed for UK security and indendence

She is probably just an intermediator for the UK Gov it was just the mining angle that caught my eye... I have few doubts behind the scenes Mkango and no doubts others such as Sovereign (who has more to lose ) will have been lobbying for some friendly political pressure to be applied...

Anyway, the Malawian Budget was just passed through so I suppose now the Malawians need to get down to business or go bust!

Well, I suppose there are two things there: a straightforward assist to a friend with little mining experience and a funding support carrot -we need to see this from you and you will get this from us...

I think we are all rightly very sceptical of this Malawi Gov being able to do anything...

'In her remarks, Wereke-Brobby said the British government alongside other development partners remain willing to support Malawi to achieve its development goals, including through technical assistance that could help Malawi secure beneficial deals with mining companies.

She also said the development partners have already lined up various forms of financial support to Malawi as long as the country remains on track with the International Monetary Fund.'

'British Deputy High Commissioner to Malawi Ms. Olympia Wereko-Brobby today met with National Planning Commission (NPC) Director General Dr. Thomas Munthali at NPC offices in Lilongwe where they discussed various issues, including how the British government and other development partners can support the accelerated implementation of the Malawi 2063 First 10-Year Implementation Plan.

The discussion specifically focused on the areas of mining, megafarms, carbon credits and macro-economic management.

In her remarks, Wereke-Brobby said the British government alongside other development partners remain willing to support Malawi to achieve its development goals, including through technical assistance that could help Malawi secure beneficial deals with mining companies.

She also said the development partners have already lined up various forms of financial support to Malawi as long as the country remains on track with the International Monetary Fund.

On his part, Munthali urged the British government and other development partners to support Malawi in improving its production sectors as that is the only way the country can boost the economy and generate resource required to reduce its debt and increase fiscal space.'

https://npc.mw/2024/03/british-envoy-meets-npc-boss/

'Two people and a company have been sanctioned over cyber-attacks.'

I suppose its a start

Hah but do we still check on her page..... again my thinking is that it is better to leave things to bigger hitters SVM and RIO to bend an MDA out of Malawi then legally it would surely mean they would have to offer the same to us... but its also possible we already have some buyer in the wings? dunno till they tell us but certainly does look like the whole mine refine recycle is now heading to just recycle which TBF for the size of this company and the global potential it holds is enough

No @Malawi or US Embassy in the announcement tweet which I think is telling ...

I'll buy that narrative :)

Certainly retaining HyproMag IP is key and Will is not willing to let that go for very good reason so now it is down to the market to work out is there any value here... and looks like they are seeing it!... Malawi at moment is costing nowt just pay to keep licences so that can now become another game as I said earlier I'd be more concerned to be a SVM holder with their great mcap let them now do MDA battle I mean negotiations and if they shift the Gov we can piggyback onto the same style MDA unless MKA has another plan there of course which they may... looking forwards from hearing from the guys