Company behind development of new critical metals processing technology appoints chief executive

The WA junior explorer seeking to commercialise a new type of critical metals processing technology has appointed a chief executive after the company’s founding leader resigned in July. Michael Walshe will lead West Perth-headquartered MTM Critical Metals as it continues to develop flash joule heating technology. He has come across from Voltaic Strategic Resources, whose chair John Hannaford is also head of the board at MTM. Mr Walshe replaces Lachlan Reynolds, who resigned as chief executive in July, after transitioning from the managing director’s role in April. Mr Reynolds was a founding director and became managing director after MTM listed on the ASX in mid-2021. MTM has the Mt Monger gold and East Laverton gold-rare earths projects in the Goldfields, the Mukinbudin rare earths-niobium project in the Wheatbelt, the West Arunta rare earths-niobium project in the East Kimberley, the Pomme and Montviel South rare earths-niobium projects in Quebec, Canada, and a subsidiary company called Flash Metals USA. The company on Friday said Mr Walshe had also worked for processing and refining technology company Metso Outotec, and had extensive expertise in process design, metallurgical flowsheet development, and structuring project finance packages for junior miners via export credit funding. It said chemical engineer Mr Walshe had been helping it with technical review and analysis of minerals processing opportunities for the flash joule heating technology. Mr Walshe said the potential of flash joule heating technology to revolutionise metal recovery was compelling. “I am thrilled to lead the company in bringing this innovative process to commercial reality,” he said. “With my background in process technology scale-up, heat transfer equipment, and mineral processing across a range of commodities, I am confident that this experience is highly complementary to the ambitious goals set by MTM. “The opportunity to apply this expertise to a pioneering technology is both a professional and personal milestone, with the opportunity to redefine efficiency, sustainability, and economic viability in the metals industry.” MTM last month explained flash joule heating had the potential to deliver cheaper metal recovery from ores and waste material. It said the process exploited the ability of a metal or mineral to act like a conductor, with direct current rapidly passing through a material generating resistance and producing heat — up to 3000C in milliseconds, known as “flash” heating — which leads to various physical and chemical transformations potentially beneficial for metal recovery. The company in its June quarterly activities report said a global licence agreement for the technology had been secured with Houston-based Rice University, where the head of Flash Metals USA Steve Ragiel is based. It said flash joule heating prototype construction had been completed and testing had started for the recovery of critical metals such as rare earths elements, lithium, and cobalt from a range of waste material. MTM said it was also collaborating with Perth-based Murdoch University on advanced metallurgy research. Mr Hannaford said with the licence agreement in place for flash joule heating in mining and waste recovery-related applications, the company had already had excellent initial test results in several areas. “These include 92 per cent time reductions in the calcination phase in hardrock lithium production, and FJH improving the leachability of rare earths elements and a range of critical metals by more than 50 per cent when compared to traditional acid leach levels,” he said. “As a result, we’re discussing possible collaborative projects with several leading industrial chemicals and mining firms, as they see the immediate operational benefits we can provide to their waste recovery or minerals processing operations. “To cost-effectively harness the FJH capability in key areas, we have established a partnership with Murdoch University to further research metal extraction and processing options with FJH technology. “With Murdoch’s world-leading expertise in metallurgy and mining through its Centre for Water, Energy and Waste, engagement with Professor Aleks Nikoloski, Academic Chair of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at Murdoch, will assist us to seek grants from Australian government and industry sources and complement the work we’re doing with Rice University in the US focused on waste-recovery.”