# Ferro-Alloy Resources Electrolyte patent received and proving trials started

- Link: https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/ferro-alloy-resources-electrolyte-patent-received-and-proving-trials-started/4121022015
- Published: 2021-09-13T07:05:39+01:00
- Author: Giles

**[Ferro-Alloy Resources Limited](https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/company/ferro-alloy-resources/far.l)**(
[LON:FAR](https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/company/ferro-alloy-resources/far.l)),
the vanadium producer and developer of the large Balasausqandiq vanadium deposit
in Southern Kazakhstan, is pleased to announce it has received a Kazakhstan patent
for the efficient technology which it has developed to produce electrolyte for vanadium
flow batteries directly from ammonium metavanadate (‘AMV’), a precursor form of 
vanadium from which vanadium pentoxide is usually made. 

The Company has also signed an agreement with Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical 
Technology, an institute in Germany that is well-known for its research work on 
VFBs and electrolyte technology, for testing of the Company’s electrolyte for battery
purposes.  Samples have been shipped and work is expected to commence on 15 September
2021.

By way of background , VFBs provide a means of storing energy and discharging over
longer periods than are economic for lithium-ion battery technology. VFB s advantages
compared with lithium-ion and similar technologies include:

· Energy (kWh) can be scaled independently of power (kw), meaning that economies
of scale can be achieved by simply increasing the amount of electrolyte rather than
by adding more cells to the battery, thus reducing the cost of storage per kWh;

· VFBs can be fully charged and discharged repeatedly without damage;

· VFBs do not catch fire;

· VFBs do not deteriorate in use after many cycles; and

· At the end of the battery life, all the components can be easily recycled, including
the vanadium electrolyte.

For these reasons, VFBs are the front-running technology for large-scale storage
of energy produced from solar and wind which typically require storage and discharge
over many hours.  This market is expected to grow rapidly as the world moves to 
decarbonise power generation.

The Company’s process of producing electrolyte for VFBs directly from AMV requires
relatively simple equipment, is safer, and improves the quality of electrolyte produced
compared with other processes. The ability to make electrolyte gives the Company
not only the required know-how to enter this market but also a cost advantage over
traditional processes.

> **Nick Bridgen, Ferro-Alloy Resources** **CEO, commented **: “Receiving the electrolyte
> technology patent is another endorsement of the FAR technical team’s capabilities.
> “FAR expects to become the world’s lowest cost producer of vanadium and this technology
> positions the Company to become a dominant supplier of VFB electrolyte at prices
> which other producers will find impossible to achieve.”

Share on: