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BINTULU (Oct 30): OM Holdings Limited’s wholly owned subsidiary OM Materials (S) Pte Ltd (OMS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South32 Marketing Pte Ltd (South32) to collaborate on a project to repurpose ferroalloy slag.
South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company headquartered in Perth, Australia.
The project seeks to develop and implement innovative solutions to close the silicomanganese slag (SiMn slag) waste loop.
SiMn slag is a by-product of manganese alloy production and is currently not recyclable within the company’s smelting complex.
The project aims to recycle SiMn slag as a substitute for natural aggregates in concrete.
This reduces the need for virgin materials in concrete production, lowering the overall environmental footprint.
Signing the MoU were OMS managing director Adrian Low and South32 general manger Rosa Ye, who represented vice president and head of marketing Matthew Gillespie.
“As part of OMH’s commitment to minimising resource use and embracing circularity, the company recycles and reuses the majority of its by-products, including slags, dust, and fines.
“These by-products are recovered from the production of manganese alloy and ferrosilicon at the company’s flagship smelting complex in Samalaju, Sarawak,” Low said in a statement.
In line with the company’s sustainability approach, he said OMS is exploring collaborations with educational institutions to study potential avenues to repurpose SiMn slag, such as in coastal protection and marine ecosystem restoration.
He added the company, through OM Materials (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, also has an ongoing collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) to research the environmental safety and application of SiMn slag in construction, potentially transforming slag from waste into a valuable resource.
OM Holdings Limited is a manganese and silicon smelting company, with vertical exposure in mining and trading.
The company is engaged in the business of trading raw ores, smelting, and marketing processed ferroalloys.
With 30 years in the industry, OMH is listed on both the ASX and Bursa Malaysia and has operations across Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Africa.
Today, the group is one of the world’s leading suppliers of manganese ores and ferroalloys and seeks to be the main ferroalloy supply partner to major steel mills and other industries.
Among those present at the signing ceremony yesterday were OM Materials (Sarawak) deputy-general manager HSE & Sustainability Willie Tan, South32 marketing manager Delwyn Chew, South32 marketing manager Katharine Koh, and OMS trade manager Michael Lian.