(Sharecast News) - Beowulf Mining updated the market on its Graphite Anode Materials Plant (GAMP) project on Wednesday, reporting progress in optimising its water treatment processes.

The AIM-traded firm was developing the project in partnership with its wholly-owned Finnish subsidiary Grafintec, and Dorfner Anzaplan.

Recent advancements included the development of a water treatment flow-sheet to enable the recycling of over 90% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a critical reagent in the purification of battery-grade graphite.

The recycled NaOH was of high quality, making it suitable for reuse in producing graphite with a purity level exceeding 99.95%.

Additionally, the water treatment process would generate high-quality calcium carbonate, or lime, as a by-product, which could be used for neutralising acidic wastewater.

The lime could also potentially be sold to other industries, adding value to the process.

Beowulf said the ability to recycle and reuse NaOH would reduce the operating costs of the plant, and also minimise its environmental impact, aligning with its commitment to sustainable practices in the production of battery materials.

"Excellent progress continues to be made at GAMP - with much of the technical work relating directly to the production of anode material well-advanced, recent activities have been focused on optimisation work and secondary work streams such as the treatment of process water and the recycling reagents," said chief executive officer Ed Bowie.

"The results for the recycling of NaOH, at over 90%, have exceeded expectations and have a very positive impact on the overall project by reducing both the input reagent costs and the environmental impact.

"With a busy time ahead progressing the pre-feasibility study and environmental impact assessment for the GAMP, we look forward to updating the market in the coming months."

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.