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- Critical minerals specialist FYI (FYI) kicks off an extended production run of high-purity alumina (HPA) to supply to potential customers
- The company says the move follows requests from certain end users for follow-up HPA samples produced to particular specifications
- FYI has spent 12 months optimising its process flowsheet and completing development work modifications and pilot testwork
- The final HPA material will be dispatched to potential customers by June 2023
- Meanwhile, FYI will also conduct specialised calcining testwork to test the suitability of its HPA in certain customer applications
- FYI shares are down 4.17 per cent and trading at 7 cents at 1:22 pm AEDT
Critical minerals specialist FYI (FYI) has kicked off an extended production run of high-purity alumina (HPA) to supply to potential customers.
The company said certain end users had requested follow-up HPA samples produced to specific specifications from the FYI pilot plant in WA.
FYI plans to commence a long-duration production run of high-quality HPA to create samples that meet these customer requirements and specifications within the high-tech product market.
The company has spent 12 months optimising its process flowsheet and completing development work modifications and pilot testwork.
“With FYI now back in control of our HPA development, we are undertaking these HPA pilot plant production runs in response to end-user requests that demonstrate the demand for our high-quality HPA,” FYI Resources Managing Director Roland Hill said.
“We see this production run as being a critical piece in addressing potential customer
product assessment needs as the results may lead to further development commitments,” Mr Hill said.
FYI will also conduct specialised calcining testwork to be included in post-production trials to test the suitability of HPA in certain customer applications.
Calcining testing will analyse the recovery of hydrochloric acid during the HPA production cycle and trial different HPA product characteristic finishes that are tailored to customer requirements.
The final HPA material is expected to be dispatched to potential customers by June 2023.
A portion of the production batch will be separately tested for its possible uses as a separator ceramic coating for the electric vehicle battery market, with this production to be completed in May 2023.
FYI said it would continue to take on customer product specifications to be used as a fundamental function throughout the development of the HPA production line.
Meanwhile, the company said it was busy receiving all project data from Alcoa following the termination of a joint development agreement between the companies.
The company will revise development schedules for the completion of both the small-scale production and commercial facilities, and FYI plans to have the revised development outline finalised shortly.
HPA has become the primary sought-after material used in multiple high-tech products, including LED lights and sapphire glass although. It is predominantly used in electric vehicles for its electrical insulation properties.
FYI shares were down 4.17 per cent and trading at 7 cents at 1:22 pm AEDT.
