Well, we are edging towards what we really need to know about Andromeda halloysite, which are things like:
How consistent is the HNT size in terms of all measurements as it comes out of the ground? What specifically are those measurements? Can one even be specific? Uniformity and tight consistency are key – I think! But Nature doesn't often play those games...
Will any natural halloysite be uniform enough? Or will thereal money be in synthetic nanotubes? Will manufactured uniformity be whatindustry really needs?
What applications are best suited to this ‘type’ of HNT? What can, and what cannot this Australian halloysite truly be used for and what value do those users place on the halloysite? Looks like cement may be one of the first to throw its hat into the ring, how many others from the research papers will step forward?
How far away from realistic commercialisation of suitable halloysite projects are we? The medical stuff hasn’t even started human trials (I think?), and they sound like such amazing medical solutions, but how many years could we be from a medical blockbuster hitting the shelves?
Should the halloysite be processed / modified further to add value? Or will that extra price all just be eaten up in costs? Most halloysite benefits in the research papers come from modifying the halloysite. What price is halloysite worth as a carrier and how much is it worth as a modified carrier?
When will enough samples have been used for true testing in many of these exploratory use papers? One or two samples per paper isn’t enough.
I see the halloysite potential, but I also see the risks. I am most interested to ascertain in what format halloysite may be supplied to end users in both academia and industry that leaves the door open for them to modify it as they wish, but still be close enough to a finished product to secure a premium price for ADN. Or does one go whole hog with a patented product?
This is an interesting situation for a company to be in. Onthe one hand, they have their principal product, they can quarry that cheaply and likely very efficiently. And make them likely consistently profitable and have a very nice business. Maybe that makes them worth the current share price for this stage in production. Maybe. They can likely quarry the halloysite-kaolin effectively also, but the processing may be quite a different matter, let alone the R+D if they carry on down that path. It was the halloysite that first attracted me to the investment, but if I play devil’s advocate for a moment, could it be that halloysite, whilst offering some upside, also pushes risks much higher? One often looks to decrease risk in business, but a halloysite strategy could easily perform the inverse.
A lot can change between now and 2022, interesting times indeed.
Plenty, plenty to aim for, but also plenty to trip up on. The classic walk along the razor’s edge…..
(20min delay)