The electrolyte solution inside each Redox One Flow Battery is a combination of Iron and Chromium, dissolved in a slightly acidic solution. These are the most abundant raw materials used for energy storage
At Redox One, we have developed a proprietary process to make our Iron-Chromium electrolyte directly from the Chromite ore mined by our parent company Tharisa Minerals, in South Africa. Our multi-generational access through Tharisa means our supply chain is both plentiful and secure allowing us to easily & cost-effectively manufacture electrolyte for our Redox One Flow Batteries.
There are many other kinds of battery technology in the energy field, each with their own uses, pros, cons and specific applications – but it all starts with the minerals which are responsible for the reactions that charge and discharge the energy put into them. In understanding where each of the elements come from, how they are mined and what
that means for battery technology, end-users can better understand the potential of the different kinds of batteries as well as the cradle-to-grave impacts of using them.
Let’s start with Iron and Chromium, the key mineral components of Redox One’s Flow Batteries.
Iron
Iron is the most abundant metal found in the earth’s crust, comprising about 94% of the metals mined each year making it the most widely used metal in modern civilization. China, Australia, Brazil, Russia and India are the world’s largest iron producers, mining via either open-pit or underground mines.
The Tharisa Mine is situated on the western side of South Africa’s Bushveld Complex in the Northwest Province, which is home to more than 70% of the world’s platinum and chrome resources. Tharisa Minerals mines and processes five MG chromitite layers. The mined reef is processed through innovative engineering at two separate plants, extracting both PGMs and chrome concentrates. This combined co-product output reduces unit costs and positions Tharisa Minerals in the lower cost quartile of operating costs in South Africa for both PGMs and chrome concentrates – which plays a major role in the cost-efficiency of our access to Chromium for our Flow Batteries.
The process of extracting Iron ore from the ground follows the process of drilling; blasting; excavating; ore dumping; crushing and screening. For our purposes at the Tharisa Mine, after the lumped iron ore is screened, it is stacked, reclaimed and pelleted.
Chromite
South Africa is home to the largest chromite reserves in the world, with annual production
measured both in local sales and export sales, making up two thirds of the world’s total