Australian Bauxite Ltd (ASX:ABX) Half Yearly Report

Sydney, Sep 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Australian Bauxite Ltd (ASX:ABX) provides the Company's Half Yearly Report.

Activities during the half-year

1. ALCORE bauxite refining technology development

2. Feasibility study of the Binjour Bauxite project inland from Bundaberg Port, central Queensland

3. Bauxite mining and processing operations in Tasmania, exporting via Bell Bay Port of Launceston

4. Assessment and development of the Penrose bauxite deposit, 90km inland from Port Kembla

ALCORE Bauxite Refining Technology

During the half-year, ABx incorporated ALCORE Limited as a wholly owned subsidiary to fund and manage the ALCORE Project, leading to the construction of an ALCORE Production Plant to produce Aluminium Fluoride (AlF3) and valuable co-products, using new technology (patent application. See Figure 1 in link below).

ALCORE technology is for refining raw bauxite, with a market price of US$50, into high-value products worth more than US$800 per tonne (see Figure 2 in link below), including:

a. Aluminium Fluoride (AlF3), an electrolyte for aluminium smelters & lithium ion batteries;

b. Silica fume for stronger concrete and production of low CO2 geopolymer cement;

c. Corethane, an ultra-pure hydrocarbon for generating electricity and heat when used as a substitute for gas or diesel fuels, increasing fuel security & reducing CO2 emissions;

d. Refractory-grade bauxite & hi-purity alumina (HPA) to make scratch-resistant sapphire glass

ABx has granted an unrestricted bauxite refining technology licence to ALCORE which ABx believes will be the first Australian supplier of AlF3 to the Australasian Aluminium Smelters and one other overseas market. ALCORE is engaged in ongoing cooperation with all relevant customers.

Operations on schedule: Stage 1 of the ALCORE Project commenced on 1 July 2018 at the ALCORE Research Centre at Berkley Vale, Central Coast NSW for the production of AlF3 test samples.

Funding is in place to complete Stage 1, scheduled to take 3 months from 1 July for final design, 1 month for final permitting, followed by 3 months construction and up to 5 months of production.

ALCORE's Master Agreement with a major engineering firm will ensure senior engineers for Stage 1 and the production plant. The engineers have studied this technology for two years and has presented plans to expedite production of the samples for customers.

Engineers on site. When the research centre was readied, senior chemical engineering staff went to site. The first tasks are to build a laboratory facility, verify the process, make AlF3 products and take engineering measurements to improve the design of the production plant.

Strategic plans: Once sufficient AlF3 samples are provided to customers and the requisite engineering factors for an AlF3 production plant are determined, the research centre will test the production of Corethane which will fuel electric generators and heaters for ALCORE's Production Plant. Corethane can power large gas turbine electrical generators and be a diesel substitute for fuel security purposes. Corethane has significant energy and industrial potential.

ALCORE technology is relatively low-risk because it operates at ambient temperatures & pressures.

ALCORE is holding ongoing discussions with governments, agencies and companies that have showed strong interest in both AIF3 and the main co-products, Corethane and silica fume.

To view the full report, please visit:
http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/N42U0K62


About ABx Group Limited

ABx Group Limited (ABx) (ASX:ABX) is a uniquely positioned Australian company delivering materials for a cleaner future.

The three priority projects are:

- Heavy rare earths: Supplying light and heavy rare earths from Tasmania into Western supply chains

o Processing Options Analysis conducted in partnership with external experts

- Clean fluorine chemical production: Producing industrial chemicals from aluminium smelter by-product (ALCORE)

o Continuous pilot plant under construction in Bell Bay, Tasmania

- Near-term bauxite production: Mining bauxite resources for the aluminium, cement and fertiliser industries

o Agreements executed with Good Importing International for bauxite projects in Queensland and New South Wales, and $2.7 million initial payment has been received

o Approvals well advanced for DL130 bauxite project in northern Tasmania

ABx endorses best practices on agricultural land and strives to leave land and environment better than we find it. We only operate where welcomed.

   

Contact

Ian Levy CEO and MD Australian Bauxite Limited Telephone: +61-2-9251-7177 Mobile: +61-407-189-122