The company revealed it “intends to indicate upon publication of the issued Patent that it is available for licence.”

Hint...hint....Time for Noront and KWG to get together...

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http://www.timminspress.com/2018/01/02/kwg-resources-has-chromite-production-patent

Scanning electron micrograph of reduced chromite ore using Natural Gas. (KWG Photo)

KWG Resources Inc., one of the two significant Canadian mining companies involved in the Ring of Fire project, has won the Canadian patent for producing chromium iron alloys directly from chromite ore.

The company revealed it “intends to indicate upon publication of the issued Patent that it is available for licence.”

The Ring of Fire is a large nickel and chromite mining deposit located more than 600 kilometres northwest of Timmins in the James Bay Lowlands near Webequie and McFaulds Lake. KWG owns large mining properties in the region.

Company CEO Frank Smeenk was pleased with the recent patent announcement, made in December.

“This is thrilling news for The Ring of Fire”, said Smeenk in a company news release. “We believe the direct reduction method can be combined with exceptionally low-cost Canadian energy to potentially provide this very large chromite discovery with tremendous production cost advantages,” he said.

Smeenk also said the method will also be improved by the further research work recently completed under the Chromite Research Project of Natural Resources Canada’s CANMET Mining laboratories.

“The award of this Patent will enable us to now vigorously pursue an opportunity to further develop the process with pilot plant testing in one of the strategic locales that have been under consideration,” he said.

KWG is the operator of the Black Horse Joint Venture after acquiring a vested 50% interest through Bold Ventures Inc. which is carried for 10% (20% of KWG’s equity in the JV) by KWG funding all exploration expenditures.

KWG also owns 100% of CCC (Canada Chrome Corporation) which has staked claims and conducted a surveying and soil testing program, originally for the engineering and construction of a railroad to the Ring of Fire. KWG subsequently acquired intellectual property interests, including a method for the direct reduction of chromite to metalized iron and chrome using natural gas. KWG subsidiary Muketi Metallurgical LP is prosecuting two chromite-refining patent applications in Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and USA. The national phase filings are under review in each of those jurisdictions, said a company news release.

Timmins is one of four Northern Ontario communities being considered as a location for a chromite refinery by Noront Resources, the other major player in the Ring of Fire development. Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury are other cities being considered.