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Advanced Energy and Decarbonisation Office (AEDO)

Method of Producing Metal Carbonate From an Ultramafic Rock Material

1 October 2026

Affiliation

A*STAR

Focus topic

CO2-to-Aggregates

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Summary

This patent discloses a process for producing metal carbonates, particularly magnesium carbonate, from naturally occurring ultramafic rocks containing metal silicates. The method reacts the rock with acid to extract metal ions, followed by an aeration step to remove residual acid and oxidize impurities. The resulting metal salts are thermally decomposed to metal oxides, which are then reacted with aqueous ammonium carbonate to form high-value metal carbonates. The invention provides an integrated pathway for converting abundant mineral resources into useful carbonate products while enabling carbon dioxide utilization.

Key Achievements:

  1. Develops an efficient route to recover magnesium carbonate and related metal carbonates from ultramafic rock feedstocks

  2. Incorporates an aeration step that improves purity by removing residual acid and oxidizing impurities prior to carbonate formation

  3. Converts naturally abundant silicate minerals into value-added carbonate products suitable for industrial applications

  4. Enables carbon mineralization, providing a pathway for long-term carbon dioxide sequestration in stable carbonate form

  5. Uses ammonium carbonate chemistry to form carbonates under controlled conditions, improving process efficiency compared with direct mineral carbonation approaches

  6. Supports sustainability objectives by combining resource recovery, waste minimization, and CO₂ utilization in a single process

What makes this novel compared to technology that is currently widely used for a similar purpose?

Converts abundant ultramafic rocks into high-value magnesium carbonates through an integrated acid extraction, impurity-removal aeration, and ammonium carbonate conversion process. Enables efficient carbon mineralization and permanent CO₂ sequestration while recovering valuable carbonate products under a more controlled and sustainable process route.

TRL Level:

 1-3

Relevant for:

CO₂ emitters and CCUS developers seeking permanent mineral carbon storage, magnesium carbonate and specialty magnesium chemicals manufacturers, mining companies with ultramafic rock resources or tailings, green construction materials producers, environmental remediation providers, and circular economy projects focused on carbon utilisation and valorisation of mineral resources.

About:


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Inventors: Jie Bu, Tze Yuen Yeo, Paul Sharratt

Affiliation: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2)

Related IPs: ID ref [z2016-080] Method and System for Converting Carbon Dioxide into Solid Carbonates

Contact ASTAR for licensing opportunities and more information.

Please quote ID ref [z2012-569] in your email.