ALCORE 4th Milestone Production of Aluminium Fluoride
Sydney, Sep 24, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Australian Bauxite Ltd's (
ASX:ABX) wholly-owned subsidiary, ALCORE Limited has conducted experimental reactions for the chemical refining of ABx bauxite and its components into aluminium fluoride (AlF3) and several valuable co-products.
- ALCORE has proven it can:
1. Make aluminium fluoride from aluminium oxides, which is the principle component of bauxite and other aluminium-rich material that is amenable to treatment by ALCORE
2. Extract valuable silicon oxides by adjusting the reagent mix and processing conditions
3. Extract valuable titanium oxide from samples tested to date by controlled drying and heating
4. Manufacture of saleable Corethane gas-substitute by reducing ash content in coal from 28% to less than 4%, thus making an ideal, ultra-clean substitute for metallurgical coal. The ash can be converted into saleable AlF3 and co-products
- ALCORE's task list includes the following:
1. Determine the optimum reaction conditions for the complete extraction of iron oxides
2. Prove that ALCORE can make commercial-grade AlF3 which involves both chemical and physical parameters
3. Make commercial-grade AlF3 from economically attractive waste materials
4. Make ultra-pure AlF3 from pure gibbsite (Al2O3. 3H2O, the main ore mineral in ABx's bauxite) that can be used in special batteries
5. Create fully-crystallised AlF3 for testing by prospective customers that are interested in the ALCORE project
6. Recycling acids recovered from the production of the co-products
7. Reduce ash content in Corethane to below 1% (and eventually below 0.5%) so that it can be used for heat and power generation (within emission guidelines) in the production of AlF3 and in nearby industries, thus reducing gas consumption and possibly providing energy security in an emergency
- AlF3 is an essential electrolyte ingredient in aluminium smelters. Global demand for AlF3 increases as aluminium smelter production increases and the use of AlF3 in lithium-ion batteries increases
- Co-products include Corethane gas-substitute, which is pure hydrocarbon powder refined from low value coals that can be used as a gas or diesel substitute (for fuel security in emergencies) and has emissions-reducing industrial applications. It is ideally suited for use as a sulphur-free bunker fuel for shipping under new strict emissions laws
- Discussions continue with governments, agencies and major companies in the aluminium industry
ABx CEO, Ian Levy commented: "The ALCORE Research Centre has created a leading-edge laboratory with the highest standards of safety, equipment and technology. Exciting enhancements of the technology have already been achieved. The mini-production plant at the ALCORE Research Centre will supply test samples to our three prospective aluminium-producing customers.
"ALCORE's work can lead to Australia's first production of AlF3 products to provide security of supply for Australasian aluminium smelters. ALCORE's production of Corethane gas-substitute hydrocarbon can change the energy supply and fuel security outlook. Its short-term focus is on supplying a cleaner form of metallurgical reductants for reducing costs and emissions in manufacturing in eastern Australia.
"ABx is also progressing its 3 core bauxite projects; the Tasmanian mine, the large Binjour Project in central QLD and the Penrose refractory bauxite project 90km inland of Port Kembla NSW. Bulk sampling and processing testwork at the Binjour Project that was interrupted by rain is being completed in coming weeks."
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About ABx Group Limited
ABx Group Limited (ABx) (ASX:ABX) started as a bauxite miner in Tasmania in 2014 & controls the Eastern Australian Bauxite Province. In 2020 to 2023, ABx also discovered Australia’s only true ionic adsorption clay Rare Earth Elements resource at Deep Leads in pine plantations 40km west of Launceston with a JORC-compliant resource of 89 million tonnes from only 29% of the mineralised outline, averaging 844 ppm total rare earth oxides that is the most enriched in the critically important rare earths, Dy and Tb, of any Australian REE deposit.
ABx has also developed a proprietary technology to produce fluorine chemicals from an aluminium smelter waste product and return the fluorine back into the smelters, thus reducing reliance on imported aluminium fluoride.
ABx has committed a large proportion of its expenditure into Research and Development and has found ways to capitalise on the main strengths of its bauxite type which is very clean, free of all deleterious elements and can be separated into different product streams using physical, chemical and geophysical methods. It has produced and marketed specialist bauxite products for the manufacturers of fertiliser, cement with high late strength for major infrastructure such as bridges and is in the advanced stages of approvals for production of metallurgical bauxite from its Binjour Bauxite deposit with JORC-compliant resources of 37 million tonnes of bauxite, in a joint development with a Chinese-focussed Australian trading company Good Importing International.
ABx is also preparing to produce fertiliser grade and cement grade bauxite from its DL130 bauxite quarry in northern Tasmania, 40km west of Launceston. This quarry is sited in the middle of the large Deep Leads REE deposit and may one day be a site for heap leaching of the REE using a low-cost, benign leachate with the same acidity as apple juice or tea.
ABx endorses best practices on agricultural land, strives to leave land and environment better than we find it. We only operate where welcomed.
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