By Oscar Nkala
British miner Alexander Mining Plc says its subsidiary MetaLeach Limited has been granted the African Regional Intellectual Property Ownership (ARIPO) patent in Zambia for a method for leaching cobalt from oxidised and non-sulphide cobalt ores.
In a statement, Alexander Chief Executive Officer Martin Rosser said IPO patent number AP 4394 has a standard term of 20 years, backdated to August 2010, which is the date of the original filing of the application for patent rights.
“The technology described in the patent has potential application for the extraction of cobalt from a range of oxidised or non-sulphide deposits. Cobalt, an essential component of lithium ion batteries, is a core target metal for the commercialisation of our intellectual property.
“We now have patent protection coverage in Zambia, one of the world’s most prospective countries of patent use,” Rosser said. The patent describes a method for leaching cobalt from non-lateritic oxidised cobalt ores.
