Protean (ASX:POW) is a vertically integrated vanadium resource and battery developer. Its Korean project, known as Daejon, is unique as a sediment hosted shale/slate bed vanadium deposit which has the potential to produce high purity vanadium pentoxide.

The company has inked a deal with the Korean Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) to acquire the organisation's IP including the results of a number of studies on processing of Daejon style Korean Ockcheon Belt vanadium bearing black shale mineralisation.

This information is incredibly valuable to Protean's future project works, as they can be used to help guide the next steps in a project to optimise the processing flowsheet for vanadium.

The agreement builds on a partnership between the pair and KIGAM and Protean will share all historical metallurgical and processing testing data to boost the processing approach for recovery of vanadium and the production of a high purity V2O5 end product.

Protean is aiming to capture the South Korean vanadium market. The nation is already one of the largest global steel producers and a major player in the vanadium battery market.