Aim-listed Ironveld’s subsidiary Ironveld Energy has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with technology solutions provider BurnStar Technologies to proceed towards a binding legal agreement under which BurnStar will implement its patent-pending ‘guilt-free hydrogen’ technology to process liquefied natural gas (LNG) on site at Ironveld’s Rustenburg smelter, in South Africa.

Under the agreement, BurnStar will produce hydrogen as a furnace reductant gas, which could considerably reduce Ironveld’s carbon consumption and enable Ironveld to produce premium priced ‘green metals’ in South Africa.

The LoI states that Ironveld Energy and BurnStar intend to enter into the binding agreement under which BurnStar will supply and install, at its own cost, a plant at Ironveld’s Rustenburg smelter capable of producing hydrogen from LNG at the rate of 5 kg/h.

The agreement will be conditional on Ironveld Energy finalising its supply of LNG to the smelter, negotiations for which are already under way to feed the solar-hybrid power generation plant currently being installed.

The company tells Mining Weekly that it is considering both in-country and external suppliers of LNG at present.

BurnStar has a patent-pending protected technology in more than 45 countries which can produce hydrogen from various hydrocarbons including flare gas, liquified petroleum gas, naphtha and LNG. BurnStar owns and applies the trade name ‘guilt-free hydrogen’.

Use of hydrogen as a reducing agent within Ironveld’s smelting process has the potential to significantly reduce total carbon consumption, reduce production costs, and enable the production of premium priced ‘green metals’.

The binding agreement is expected to be signed within two months.

“This is a hugely significant step for Ironveld. Our partnership with BurnStar will allow us to benefit from an on-site supply of hydrogen at extremely attractive prices, which has the potential to virtually eliminate carbon consumption from our production process and achieve ‘green metal’ end products.

“This may lead to Ironveld having the ability to certify its end products, ensuring that their sustainability credentials are reflected in their market value. We look forward to finalising the formal legal agreement with Dr Brand and his team in the coming months,” Ironveld CEO Martin Eales comments.

“Our technology produces ‘turquoise’ hydrogen which stands apart from ‘grey’ and ‘blue’ hydrogen because no carbon dioxide is produced during pyrolysis of the LNG.

“Furthermore, all the carbon produced can be sold as a bio-char replacement in fertilizer and will, therefore, become permanently sequestered.

The plant is scheduled to be installed before year-end and will demonstrate ‘guilt-free hydrogen’ commercialisation at a large-scale industrial facility,” says BurnStar CEO Dr Johan Brand.