JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - Aim-listed Alexander Mining has received notification that its MetaLeach subsidiary has been granted an African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (Aripo) patent in Zambia for a method for leaching cobalt from oxidised cobalt ores.
The patent has a standard term of 20 years from the effective date of August 6, 2010, being the date of original filing of the Patent Cooperation Treaty application from which the Aripo patent is derived.
"The technology described in the patent has potential application for the extraction of cobalt from a range of oxidised or nonsulphide deposits.
"Cobalt, an essential component of lithium-ion batteries, is a core target metal for the commercialisation of our intellectual property and we now have patent protection coverage in Zambia, one of the world's most prospective countries of patent use," said Alexander CEO Martin Rosser.