A research and industry partnership between QUT, Lava Blue and...

A research and industry partnership between QUT, Lava Blue and the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) has built the $3 million Redlands Research Facility.

The research partnership project between QUT and Lava Blue in 2018, looking for a method of producing high purity alumina (HPA) from kaolin clay, an abundant, natural and unconventional resource.

QUT’s project leader Associate Professor Sara Couperthwaite said the project has continued to expand into new areas of knowledge, and along with the research facility, the project has now established ways of converting a wide variety of aluminium-rich sources into HPA, which is used to make LEDs and separators for lithium-ion batteries.

“The technology will soon be used for transforming other battery mineral processing by-products into HPA to strengthen Australia’s battery supply chain and minimise mine wastes,” Professor Sara Couperthwaite said.

Extract from an article on QUT dated Aug 22. QUT partner with lava blue and are assisting with QPM to refine the ore into HPA

would be fantastic if the offtake was associated with HPA as this by product has huge revenue potential.