Essential ingredients – Aluminium and HPA33 The industries also operate on very different scales. World production of SGA is ~123,000,000 tonnes whereas the marketfor HPA is ~50,000 tonnes annually.34 Vernon, C.; Loh, J.; Lau, D.; Stanley, A. in Essential Readings in Light Metals, Volume 1: Alumina and BauxiteDOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-48176-0_8335 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbite_Technologies#Orbite_process36 https://www.coogee.com.au/Our-Businesses/Chemicals-Manufacturing/Chemicals/Alumina-Hydrated37 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/high-purity-alumina-market38 http://www.alphahpa.com.au/39 https://www.fyiresources.com.au/40 https://www.lavablue.com.au/hpaUntil the last decade, Australia was by far the world’s largest producer of alumina, before that productionwas matched, now exceeded, by China. Australia produces approximately 20 million tonnes of smeltinggrade alumina (SGA) annually via the Bayer process, to feed the world’s aluminium smelters (export valueapproximately $8 billion). Standards for SGA are closely tied to surface area specifications and performancein electrolytic cells. Purity rarely exceeds (or rarely needs to exceed) 99.7% as Al2O3, with the majorimpurities being Na (always), and often Ca, Fe, Si and Ti. The High Purity Alumina (HPA) product requiredfor electronics and battery separator manufacture cannot be produced via the Bayer process. Australia’sstanding in metallurgical alumina production does not confer any advantage in entering the HPA market33,chiefly because the major impurity, Na, is not tolerated in electronics applications. The Bayer processis inherently limited to approximately 99.90% purity (and approximately 0.10% Na2O) due to a surfaceequilibrium phenomenon that exists when precipitating gibbsite from pregnant liquor34.High Purity Alumina is increasingly important in battery architecture and in fact there is often more HPA insome battery designs than Ni or Co. HPA is typically >99.99% Al2O3 for the “4N” grade (there are 5N and6N grades). The traditional process commences with high purity Al metal, dissolution and reprecipitation,often via an alkoxide. Due to the energy intensity required for the production of metal, this is a costly route.Companies such as Orbite35 (now bankrupt) have proposed more direct production through acid extractionof bauxite, or even red mud, but their process was not robust at an industrial scale.As previously stated, battery grade aluminas are not likely to be produced directly via the Bayer process.Bayer-produced SGA is also not suitable for economic purification to HPA because it has been calcinedinto insoluble phases. However, the crystalline gibbsite (Al(OH)3 , sometimes conveniently but incorrectlydescribed as Al2O3.3H2O, “trihydrate”) produced as an intermediate step in the process, has been used asa starting point for the production of higher-purity alumina chemicals such as ultra-white fillers and watertreatment chemicals36, but the same could be said about any chemical-grade aluminium salt, or kaolin. On acost basis it is probably more logical to commence the process with a feedstock other than one as complexas bauxite, such as clays which can occur in quite pure deposits. Any aluminium-based feedstock will suffice,if elimination of impurities is economically feasible. As a guide, SGA as commonly produced in Australia isvalued around US$400 per tonne. 4N HPA is currently valued at between US$20,000 to $30,000 per tonne.Al2O3 can exist in seven different non-hydrated phases and in amorphous form even after high temperaturecalcination. The preferred phase for HPA appears to be α-Al2O3 (corundum) but the authors have nottested this in the market. As previously mentioned, LED and other ceramic uses of alumina are high volumeconsumers, but the whole market is expected37 to grow by nearly 22% year on year until 2028.Altech Chemicals is headquartered in Perth WA, and will manufacture 4N electronic and battery gradeproducts at its facility in Malaysia. Its feedstock is reported to be kaolin, mined at Meckering WA.There are no known producers of HPA in Australia at the present time. There are, however companiespursuing HPA production in Australia (Table 5).Table 5. Prospective HPA activities in Australia.COMPANY LOCATION STAGEALPHA HPA38 Gladstone, Qld Pilot plantFYI RESOURCES39 Kwinana, WA Pilot plantANDROMEDA METALS SA TestworkALCHEMY RESOURCES West Lynn, NSW TestworkLAVA BLUE40 Lava Plains, Qld Mine operating. Pilot plant
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