Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium and Arkien Industrial have entered a joint venture for the development of a reprocessing operation for the titanium dioxide-rich waste slag from Evraz’s eMalahleni steelworks operations, in Mpumalanga.
The companies would jointly operate the venture, called Nyanza, with JSE-listed Evraz holding a 20% stake and Arkien the balance.
Evraz and Arkien also entered into a shareholders agreement, subject to the fulfilment of several conditions by July 31, to govern the relationship between the parties.
The companies aimed to undertake a bankable feasibility study (BFS) to determine the viability of a rutile pigment producing, waste slag reprocessing plant. The 18-month BFS was expected to start in July.
A scoping study for the proposed plant was completed in March last year and a prefeasibility study was completed in May this year.