Emmerson (AIM:EML) has been granted a UK patent for the processing technology at the heart of its Khemisset Potash Project in Morocco, the AIM-listed miner has disclosed.
The UK Intellectual Property Office granted patent status to Emmerson's application titled "Processing of Evaporite Minerals" (Patent No. 2634094), covering the core Khemisset Multi-mineral Process (KMP) and its derivative products.
The KMP was developed to improve the economics of the Khemisset project, cutting water requirements by 50% and lifting Muriate of Potash recovery rates from 85% to approximately 91%.
The process also yields two slow-release fertiliser by-products, struvite and vivianite, which Emmerson says carry additional commercial value alongside environmental benefits, including reduced phosphate run-off.
Emmerson has filed a broader portfolio of patent applications in other commercially significant regions through its IP advisors, Gill Jennings and Every, extending potential protection beyond the UK.
The patent filing sits against a contested backdrop: Emmerson is pursuing a US$1.215 billion arbitration claim against Morocco, alleging expropriation of the Khemisset project and breach of bilateral investment treaty obligations, though the company notes no certainty exists as to the outcome.
