Honeywell Teams With Cobalt Blue To Accelerate Global Sustainability Efforts

Honeywell technologies and services to enable Cobalt Blue to drive production of ethically sourced cobalt for green energy applications.

HOUSTON, June 9, 2021 -- Honeywell and Cobalt Blue Holdings Limited (Cobalt Blue), an Australian cobalt exploration and project development company, today announced Honeywell will provide control, automation and energy optimization solutions to help Cobalt Blue streamline its pioneering Broken Hill Cobalt Project (BHCP) and help to reduce the risk levels involved.

BHCP, which covers an area of 63 km² in western New South Wales, will develop a new, reliable, global source of ethically-sourced cobalt – a metal widely used in green energy applications such as the production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and blades for wind turbines. The project is expected to help improve work conditions and the harsh impact on the environment traditional sourcing methods usually present.  

Honeywell will deliver a wide range of solutions and services to enable Cobalt Blue to move BHCP seamlessly from pilot to production, including LEAP™ lean project execution; reusable engineering standards and templates; process control, enterprise performance management,  energy optimization solutions; and consulting and engineering services. The collaboration also includes the assisting in the development of a modular cobalt concentrator unit for BHCP, which can be applied for other mining and industrial waste streams project. This will improve cobalt recovery rates on running operations and reduce the environmental impact of old mine tailings.

 “Our work with Honeywell will help us to de-risk and cost-optimize the process control, automation, and energy savings components of the BHCP project and reduce our time to market,” said Joe Kaderavek, CEO of Cobalt Blue. “Moreover, it will help us to meet our objective to produce 3,500 tons of cobalt per year and meet rapidly increasing market demand.”

Cobalt is used in the rechargeable batteries for smartphones, laptops, and is a  component of lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles and store energy from solar, wind and other renewable sources, giving it an essential role in the transition from fossil fuels to green energy. It is forecast that global demand for cobalt will increase 60% above 2017 levels by 2025, with batteries projected to make up more than half of that use.

“We’re committed to working with rare-earth and green energy mineral partners such as Cobalt Blue to deliver sustainable products that help organizations around the globe achieve their carbon neutrality goals,” said Andrew Hird, director of APAC growth and sales director, Pacific, Honeywell Process Solutions. “Our technologies are ideally suited for this purpose, from automating operations to ensure a rapid response to evolving energy needs, to giving customers the capability to interpret data to make real-time decisions related to energy management and renewable energy systems.”

Honeywell recently committed to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035. This commitment builds on the company’s track record of sharply reducing the greenhouse gas intensity of its operations and facilities as well as its decades-long history of innovation to help its customers meet their environmental and social goals. About half of Honeywell’s new product introduction research and development investment is directed toward products that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers.

For more information about LEAP™ lean project execution and Honeywell’s other solutions for the mining industry visit https://www.honeywellprocess.com

About Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT)

Honeywell PMT develops process technologies, automation solutions, advanced materials and industrial software that are transforming industries around the world. PMT’s Advanced Materials businesses manufacture a wide variety of high-performance products including environmentally preferable materials used for the production of refrigerants, blowing agents, aerosols and solvents, pharmaceutical packaging, fine chemicals, additives and high strength-fiber for military, law enforcement and industrial use. Technologies developed by Honeywell UOP (www.uop.honeywell.com), a leading provider in the oil and gas sector, form the foundation for most of the world’s refiners, efficiently producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, petrochemicals and renewable fuels. Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com) is a pioneering provider of automation control, safety systems, field instrumentation, fuel delivery and burners, connected plant offerings, cybersecurity, tissue and packaging materials control systems, connected utility and metering solutions, and services for a wide range of industries.