TSX-listed Giyani Metals, which is developing the K.Hill Battery-Grade manganese project, in Botswana, says the demo plant being manufactured in Johannesburg, South Africa, is now in the commissioning phase.

Since the company’s last report in September, the steam boiler, plant air supply system and demineralised water plant for the demo plant have been commissioned.

The main control station hardware for the Yokogawa distributed control system (DCS) has also been installed and the control room has been powered up.

The DCS will be used to control the demo plant, enabling the facility to operate as a continuous process flow, rather than on a batch basis.

The milestone of first drive start and stop from the DCS has been achieved.

Giyani says the continuous process flow capability of the demo plant is a significant advantage for the company, as it enables the team to operate the facility at steady state and confirms the ability to produce consistent specification battery-grade manganese.

By demonstrating this ability to potential offtake partners, Giyani can satisfy their requirements for a consistent product specification and production rate, the company highlights in a statement.

Installation of the International Standards Organisation-certified, independent laboratory is under way.

The onsite lab will enable Giyani to test product quality, ensuring a consistent specification, an important requirement for offtaker qualification to demonstrate the ability to produce a consistent product and a consistent quantity of product, the company points out.

As the demo plant is a smaller-scale, direct copy of the proposed commercial plant, Giyani says it will better understand how the proposed commercial plant (to be built in Botswana) will respond in advance of construction, commissioning and ramp-up of that facility, planned for 2027.

The commercial plant will be constructed adjacent to Giyani’s 100% owned manganese oxide ore sources in southern Botswana.

The demo plant enables further optimisation of the engineering design and flowsheet to reduce operating costs and carbon profiles, in parallel with the definitive feasibility study which is underway, and expected to be complete next year.

The demo plant remains on track for commissioning and production of up to 600 kg/d of battery-grade manganese in the fourth quarter.

Battery-grade manganese produced from the demo plant will be provided to offtakers for testing and qualification.

“Giyani’s demo plant is now entering the commissioning phase, in keeping with our target to deliver first production of battery-grade manganese in quarter four this year. The superiority of the demo plant in kind and size establishes a strong foundation for Giyani to engage with potential offtake partners: and offers Giyani many advantages that would not be available with other smaller or non-continuous facilities.

“In particular, the continuous process flow of the demo plant will allow the team to target steady-state operations over extended periods, consequently proving Giyani’s ability to produce consistent battery-grade manganese and satisfy offtake requirements.

“Similarly, continuous operation at pre-commercial scale provides critical information for understanding how the commercial plant will respond, significantly derisking the project,” CEO and president Charles FitzRoy says.

“The successful construction and operation of the demo plant is, therefore, a crucial step in not only demonstrating the fundamental value of the project to investors and potential offtake partners, but also in the company’s trajectory to becoming a leading producer of high-purity battery-grade manganese for the electric vehicle battery market.

“The results of this undertaking will yield significant strategic and operational benefits, and we look forward to providing further updates in due course,” he adds.