Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF; Frankfurt:
E06) ("
Euro Manganese", the
"
Company" or "
EMN") is pleased to
release highlights of the Life Cycle Assessment
("
LCA" or "
Study") recently
completed for the Company’s Chvaletice Manganese Project
("
CMP" or "
Project") located in
the Czech Republic.
Euro Manganese engaged Minviro Ltd.
("Minviro"), a UK-based and globally recognized
sustainability and life cycle assessment consultancy, and RCS
Global Ltd. ("RCS Global"), a leading global
auditor of battery material supply chains, to conduct a
cradle-to-gate, critically reviewed study quantifying the
environmental impacts, including the carbon footprint, of producing
high-purity manganese products from manganese-rich historic mine
tailings at the CMP.
The results of the LCA validate the
environmental value proposition of the CMP and identify potential
opportunities for further impact reduction. Delivery of the LCA is
timely as Euro Manganese continues to engage with customers in the
Electric Vehicle ("EV") battery/automotive space,
each of whom are testing and qualifying both the chemistry and
environmental credentials of EMN’s high-purity manganese
products.
Highlights
- Using 100% renewable electricity to
power the processing plant significantly reduces the CMP’s carbon
footprint, measured in the LCA as Global Warming Potential
("GWP"). The Company is actively working to secure
renewable power offtake contracts with a potential target mix of
50% wind and 50% solar to meet the plant’s energy requirements. The
Company’s working assumption is the use of 100% renewable
electricity, referred to as the Target Scenario in the LCA.
- Assuming the use of renewable
electricity, the Project’s GWP is expected to be 6.6 kg CO2 eq. per
kg of high-purity electrolytic manganese metal
("HPEMM") and 2.3 kg CO2 eq. per kg high-purity
manganese sulphate monohydrate ("HPMSM"). Assuming
the standard Czech electrical grid mix, the total GWP impact is
expected be 13.9 kg CO2 eq. per kg HPEMM and 4.8 kg CO2 eq. per kg
HPMSM.
- The results of the GWP impact
analysis have been divided into three scopes, following the
guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas ("GHG") Protocol,
which provides the Company with a full GHG emissions
inventory.
- The LCA confirms multiple
environmental benefits from the remediation of the historic
tailings area, particularly in terms of soil quality and freshwater
quality. Both improve over the lifetime of the Project as
remediation avoids the current leaching of metals and reduces the
impacts of the historic tailings to soil and water streams.
- Opportunities exist to further
reduce the CMP’s carbon footprint by sourcing reagents from
manufacturers with lower environmental impact than those assumed in
the study. The Company is committed to identifying and selecting
suppliers with commitments to decarbonization.
- The LCA was conducted according to
the requirements of ISO-14040:2006 and ISO-14044:2006, which
included a critical review by an independent LCA expert, and will
provide Euro Manganese with an independently verified assessment
for financiers and customers. RCS Global also reviewed and
commented on the LCA study.
- Minviro is also
undertaking a benchmarking exercise where the CMP’s GWP will be
compared against similar projects and operations producing
high-purity manganese products. The Company intends to release the
results of this analysis once complete.
Dr. Matthew James, Euro
Manganese’s President and CEO, said: “I am pleased the results of
this Life Cycle Assessment confirm the environmental credentials of
the Chvaletice Manganese Project, namely its low carbon footprint
and the net positive benefits of remediating the historic tailings
area, where the quality of soil and freshwater actually improve
over the lifetime of our Project.
These LCA results are a crucial part of customer
qualification, as transparency into the origin and environmental
footprint of battery metal production is increasingly important as
automotive manufacturers use strategic procurement to meet their
targets of lower carbon emissions across their supply chains.
Euro Manganese’s plans to purchase 100%
renewable electricity reduces the GWP to 2.3 kg CO2 eq. per kg
high-purity manganese sulphate. To put this in context, the Nickel
Institute reports1 a GWP of 5.4 kg CO2 eq. per kg of nickel
sulphate. I am confident the use of renewable energy will show our
results are favourable against similar operations producing
high-purity manganese products, to be confirmed in the benchmarking
study currently underway.
Euro Manganese has the only known supply of
manganese ore in the European Union, making our high-purity
manganese products fully traceable from mine to market, and it is
our duty to develop that resource in the most environmentally
responsible manner.”
Scope of the Life Cycle
Assessment
The LCA evaluates the life cycle impact of the
two high-purity manganese products that the CMP produces, HPEMM and
HPMSM. The reported values are based on the production of 1 kg of
HPEMM and 1 kg of HPMSM respectively from manganese-rich historic
sulfidic mine tailings. The process assessed is from the point of
tailings extraction (cradle) to HPMSM production (end gate) and is
based on data and the production process outlined in EMN’s
Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”), the results
of which were released on July 27, 2022.
The Study assesses two scenarios, a baseline,
where electricity demands of the Project are met by the Czech grid,
and a target scenario, where electricity demands are met by
renewable energy sources. The transport of reagents, sourced from
within Europe, is included in the scope.
The LCA measures five impact categories: the
CMP’s global warming potential, water scarcity footprint, land use,
freshwater eutrophication potential and freshwater ecotoxicity
potential. Results of these categories can be found in the Results
Summary Table in Appendix I.
Global Warming Potential
The CMP’s GWP is expected to be 6.6 kg CO2 eq.
per kg HPEMM and 2.3 kg CO2 eq. per kg HPMSM assuming 100%
renewable electricity is used. Assuming electricity from the
standard Czech grid is used, the Project’s GWP is expected to be
13.9 kg CO2 eq. per kg HPEMM and 4.8 kg CO2 eq. per kg HPMSM. The
GWP can be subdivided into Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions, detailed
in the Table below.
LCA Summary of Global Warming Potential
Scope Emissions for HPEMM & HPMSM
|
Target Scenario:Renewable
Electricity |
Baseline Scenario:Czech Electrical Grid
Mix |
Impact Category |
HPEMM(kg CO2 eq. per kg) |
HPMSM(kg CO2 eq. per kg) |
HPEMM(kg CO2 eq. per kg) |
HPMSM(kg CO2 eq. per kg) |
Scope 1 |
1.2 |
0.4 |
1.2 |
0.4 |
Scope 2 |
2.1 |
0.7 |
9.5 |
3.3 |
Scope 3 |
3.3 |
1.2 |
3.3 |
1.2 |
Total |
6.6 |
2.3 |
13.9 |
4.8 |
Note: Totals may not add exactly due to
rounding.
- Scope 1: direct GHG emissions from
owned or controlled sources; for example, emissions associated with
the combustion of fossil fuels on-site, such as process
emissions.
- Scope 2: indirect GHG emissions
from the generation of purchased energy; for example, thermal or
electrical energy that is imported and used at site.
- Scope 3: any
other indirect upstream emissions; for example, from the impact of
manufacturing consumables and transport of reagents.
The contributors to GWP in the production of
HPEMM are mostly associated with electricity use in the
electrowinning stage and quicklime consumption in the Fe/P removal
stage. The contributors to GWP in the production of HPMSM are
mostly associated with the production of HPEMM, as HPEMM is a
precursor product to the further-refined HPMSM product.
Water Scarcity Footprint
The CMP’s water scarcity footprint is expected
to be 29.2 kg water eq. per kg HPEMM and 11.0 kg water eq. per kg
HPMSM assuming the target scenario and 35.2 kg water eq. per kg
HPEMM and 13.7 kg water eq. per kg HPMSM assuming the baseline
scenario. For both products, direct water use is the largest
contributing factor to the Project’s water scarcity footprint,
while indirect water use stemming from water embodied in energy and
reagents does not contribute much. The potential for water
deprivation to humans or ecosystems is not considered significant
as the Project is located in an area with a low water scarcity
index and the water used in processing is intended to be from
secondary sources.
Land Use Transformation
In four of the five categories evaluated to
assess the CMP’s impacts on land use, results showed a benefit to
the environment of remediating the historic tailings area.
Categories showing a benefit included biotic
production, groundwater regeneration, mechanical filtration and
physicochemical filtration. An exception was in the soil erosion
category as compaction and textures of the tailings area,
processing plant and storage area will be changed after land
occupation and transformation over the life of the Project. The
likelihood of erosion is not considered significant. The total
transformation impact is 4.2E-4 kg of increased soil loss per kg
HPEMM, or 2.1E-4 kg of increased soil loss per kg HPMSM.
Freshwater Eutrophication
The CMP’s freshwater eutrophication impact is
expected to be 2.0E-3 kg P eq. HPEMM and -9.6E-4kg P eq. HPMSM
assuming the target scenario and 9.7E-3 kg P eq. HPEMM and 3.5E-3
kg P eq. HPMSM assuming the baseline scenario. For both products,
the main driver is the embodied impact of consuming material and
energy inputs. Benefits to the environment were seen with the
remediation of the historic tailings as further leaching of metals
is avoided.
Eutrophication is the build-up of a
concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem which leads to
abnormal productivity, such as excessive algae in rivers causing
reductions in water quality and animal populations.
Freshwater Ecotoxicity
The CMP’s freshwater ecotoxicity impact is
expected to be 15.1 Comparative Toxic Unit ("CTU")
eq. per kg HPEMM and 5.0 CTU eq. per kg HPMSM assuming the target
scenario and 15.4 CTU eq. per kg HPEMM and 5.5 CTU eq. per kg HPMSM
assuming the baseline scenario. The main driver for this is the use
of chemicals in the purification process for HPEMM production,
which has a large embodied upstream impact.
Ecotoxicity is the potential of a chemical
substance to cause harm or damage to ecosystems, which, with
respect to freshwater, is represented by the toxic effect on
aquifer freshwater species in the water column.
APPENDIX I - LCA Results Summary for HPEMM &
HPMSM
|
Target Scenario: Renewable Electricity |
Baseline Scenario: Czech Electrical Grid
Mix |
|
Impact Category |
HPEMM |
HPMSM |
HPEMM |
HPMSM |
Units (per kgHPEMM/HPMSM) |
Global Warming Potential |
6.6 |
2.3 |
13.9 |
4. |
kg CO2 eq. |
Water Scarcity Footprint |
29.2 |
11.0 |
35.2 |
13.7 |
kg water eq. |
Land Use – Biotic Production(Transformation) |
-1.3E-2 |
-6.7E-3 |
-1.3E-2 |
-6.7E-3 |
kg eq. |
Land Use – Biotic Production(Occupation) |
-1.3E-3 |
-6.7E-4 |
-1.3E-3 |
-6.7E-4 |
kg eq. x year |
Land Use – Erosion Resistance(Transformation) |
4.2E-4 |
2.1E-4 |
4.2E-4 |
2.1E-4 |
kg eq. |
Land Use – Erosion Resistance(Occupation) |
9.7E-6 |
4.9E-6 |
9.7E-6 |
4.9E-6 |
kg eq. x year |
Land Use – Groundwater Regeneration(Transformation) |
-7.7E-4 |
-3.9E-4 |
-7.7E-4 |
-3.9E-4 |
m3 eq. |
Land Use – Groundwater Regeneration(Occupation) |
-1.7E-4 |
-8.6E-5 |
-1.7E-4 |
-8.6E-5 |
m3 eq. x year |
Land Use – Mechanical Filtration(Transformation) |
-5.8 |
-2.9 |
-5.8 |
-2.9 |
m3 eq. |
Land Use – Mechanical Filtration(Occupation) |
-6.1E-1 |
-3.1E-1 |
-6.1E-1 |
-3.1E-1 |
m3 eq. x year |
Land Use – Physicochemical Filtration(Transformation) |
-8.4E-1 |
-1.7 |
-8.4E-1 |
-1.7 |
mol eq. |
Land Use – Physicochemical Filtration(Occupation) |
-8.8E-2 |
-3.3E-2 |
-8.8E-2 |
-3.3E-2 |
mol eq. x year |
Freshwater Eutrophication |
2.0E-3 |
-9.6E-4 |
9.7E-3 |
3.5E-3 |
kg P eq. |
Freshwater Ecotoxicity |
15.1 |
5.0 |
15.4 |
5.5 |
CTU eq. |
About Euro Manganese Inc.
Euro Manganese Inc. is a battery materials
company focused on becoming a leading, competitive, and
environmentally superior producer of high-purity manganese for the
electric vehicle (EV) industry and other high-technology
applications. The Company is advancing development of the
Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic, which is a
unique waste-to-value recycling and remediation opportunity
involving reprocessing old tailings from a decommissioned mine. The
Chvaletice Project is the only sizable resource of manganese in the
European Union, strategically positioning the Company to provide
battery supply chains with critical raw materials to support the
global shift to a circular, low-carbon economy.
About Minviro Ltd.
Minviro is a London-based and globally
recognized consultancy and technology company specializing in
carrying out life cycle assessments in the raw material sector and
technology minerals and metals space. The company provides
quantitative environmental and climate impact data for mineral
resource projects and operations, battery manufacturers and the EV
industry to make environmentally informed decisions.
(www.minviro.com)
About RCS Global Ltd.
RCS Global is a world leading, vertically integrated ESG audit,
consulting, and data solutions provider with a specialisation in
battery material supply chains.
-
https://nickelinstitute.org/media/4901/lifecycledata-summary-update2020.pdf
Authorized for release by the CEO of Euro
Manganese Inc.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) or the ASX accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Inquiries
Dr. Matthew JamesPresident
& CEO+44 (0)747 229 6688
Louise BurgessSenior Director
Investor Relations & Communications+1 (604)
312-7546lburgess@mn25.ca
Company Address: #709 -700 West Pender St.,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C
1G8Website: www.mn25.ca
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release
constitute “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking
information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such
statements and information involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of the Company, its projects, or
industry results, to be materially different from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be
identified by the use of words such as “may”, “would”, “could”,
“will”, “intend”, “expect”, “believe”, “plan”, “anticipate”,
“estimate”, “scheduled”, “forecast”, “predict” and other similar
terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results
“may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be
achieved. Such forward-looking information or statements relate to
future events or future performance about the Company and its
business and operations. Further, it should be noted that no
production decision has been made with respect to the Project and
that such a decision will only be made based on permitting and
financing having been secured.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on forward-looking information or statements.
Forward-looking statements and information involve significant
risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future
performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate
indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A
number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially
from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or
information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed
under “Risks Notice” and elsewhere in the Company’s MD&A, as
well as the inability to obtain regulatory approvals in a timely
manner; the potential for unknown or unexpected events to cause
contractual conditions to not be satisfied; unexpected changes in
laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable
authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the Company
to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity
prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to
deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and
support continued exploration, studies, development or
operations.
Although the forward-looking statements
contained in this news release are based upon what management of
the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot
assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are
made as of the date of this news release and are expressly
qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject
to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any
obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements
contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after
the date of this news release. The Company’s actual results could
differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements as a result of the factors set forth in the “Risks
Notice” section and elsewhere in the Company’s MD&A for the
year ended September 30, 2021 and its Annual Information Form.
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