Boston Metal, a global metals technology solutions company, says it will deploy its molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) platform technology to recover high-value metals from mining waste in Brazil.

The company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Boston Metal do Brasil and major Brazilian refined tin producer Mineração Taboca S.A. have signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the use of Boston Metal’s MOE technology through a collaboration that, it says, seeks to advance the efficiency of metals production while demonstrating a sustainable and profitable solution for the mining industry. Mineração Taboca S.A produces not only refined tin, but other industrial minerals including niobium and tantalum.

Process development for the MoU will be performed at Boston Metal do Brasil, which opened in August, with construction underway on facilities in the municipality of Coronel Xavier Chaves near São João del Rei, Minas Gerais.

The company’s patented MOE technology uses electricity to selectively extract valuable metals from complex, low-concentration materials that are currently considered waste. This enables miners to reduce the financial and environmental liabilities of slag, by leveraging this natural by-product of metal production to create new revenue streams, Boston Metal says. Using renewable electricity, MOE can also be applied to convert all grades of iron ore into emissions-free steel, according to the company. Once this groundbreaking technology becomes commercially available by 2026, steel producers will be able to cost-effectively achieve net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions and meet growing global demand for green steel.

Itamar Resende, President of Boston Metal do Brasil, said: “MOE provides the metals industry with a more efficient, lower cost and greener solution to produce a variety of metals and alloys from a wide range of feedstocks. We’re looking forward to further developing our high-value metals business and demonstrating the efficiency of our MOE solution to transform mining waste into sources of revenue.”

Boston Metal expects commercialisation of the MOE technology for high-value metals to take place in 2023.