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- Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM) signs an agreement with Lava Blue to use its high purity alumina (HPA) technology in the Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH) Project
- Lava Blue will play an important role in the HPA section of the TECH Project’s definitive feasibility study
- Both parties are confident that the Lava Blue process will be able to successfully refine TECH Project aluminium hydroxide feedstock into 99.99 per cent HPA
- This partnership will allow QPM to focus on the production of net negative carbon nickel and cobalt sulfate
- On the market this morning, QPM is in the grey and trading at 19.5 cents per share
Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM) has signed a binding heads of agreement with Lava Blue to use its high purity alumina (HPA) technology in the Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH) Project.
Lava Blue is a mineral resources and material science company that is focused on the science and engineering of HPA Production.
Lava Blue will play an important role in the HPA section of the TECH Project’s definitive feasibility study (DFS).
Based on the due diligence, both parties are confident that the Lava Blue process will be able to successfully refine TECH Project aluminium hydroxide feedstock into 99.99 per cent (4N) HPA.
Lava Blue’s technology is based around the hydrochloric acid leach, which was the base case for QPM. The technology is centred around the ability to deal with trace impurities, process control, and demonstration plant confirmation of designs.
The initial partnership has already commenced and involves Lava Blue undertaking lab-scale testwork to produce 4N HPA from aluminium hydroxide produced from QPM’s pilot plant.
QPM has also engaged with engineering consultants Engenium to undertake a DFS on a HPA refinery for the TECH Project.
Notably, Engenium has worked closely with Lava Blue before.
Commenting on the partnership is OPM’s Managing Director, Stephen Grocott.
“We are delighted to work with Lava Blue and their partners QUT and Engenium. This
development significantly advances us with respect to achieving commercial production of HPA at the TECH Project,” Dr Grocott said.
“By leveraging off Lava Blue’s technical expertise and networks in HPA, we will be able to maintain our focus on the production of net carbon negative nickel and cobalt, whilst ensuring the HPA opportunity is not left behind.”
Lava Blue’s Managing Director, Michael McCann, is also pleased with the partnership.
“Like a lot of materials that are required for the production of batteries, the challenges of
making HPA are not obvious until you are attempting to do it repeatedly, and with the aim of achieving highly controlled and consistent outcomes,” he said.
“We see QPM taking a very similar approach to the scaling up of the Direct Nickel Process. We look forward to working with QPM on the manufacturing of HPA as part of their incredibly exciting TECH project.”
On the market this morning, QPM was in the grey and trading at 19.5 cents per share at 10:12 am AEDT.
