:: European Patent Granted and Validated for Zero-Carbon Iron Making Process

The Canadian company Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc. has announced that the European Patent EP 2268852 B1 entitled "Electrochemical process for the recovery of metallic iron and sulfuric acid from iron sulfate wastes, mining residues, and pickling liquors" granted by the EPO in 2018 has been validated in ten countries of the European Union. This zero-carbon iron-making technology is now enforced in France, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Since the beginning Europe was a key jurisdiction where the process was successfully tested by industrial partners to produce pure metallic iron, sulfuric acid and pure oxygen gas from ferrous sulfate a by-product from the titanium pigment industry, from spent pickling liquors and pregnant solutions from the metallurgical industries.

Therefore, after years of financial commitment, tireless efforts and testing this represents an important milestone for Electrochem. The EU offers a huge potential for its implementation to address climate change by eliminating greenhouse gases emissions related to iron and steel making. The company is aiming to secure patent licensing agreements. Beside the EU patents were also granted and enforced in Canada, Brazil, India, South Africa, Japan and China. The technology was awarded the ICIS Innovation Awards in 2018 in the SME’s category.