"Kemetco is not inventing anything that hasn't already been invented."
Yes, they did. Many, many changes to the original from the 1940's.
chippy, Mesa Minerals has produced high purity EMD for use in the battery industry using their hydrometallurgical process that they also claim can be used for any grade Mn, and they've done so since 2001.
You're talking about a different type of process that was used in the US in the 1940's.
Mesa Minerals is a modern process and very similar to Kemetco's. Hence, Kemetco is not inventing anything new. It will undoubtedly be slightly different, or they wouldn't be able to get a patent, but it's not new.
It is a new story though, IMO. atb