Peter Lee

ChemX Materials has advanced its high-purity alumina (HPA) micro-plant flowsheet as it prepares to scale up to pilot-plant production. The company has now also identified intermediate HPA product pathways and says investment in high-precision analytical equipment and dedicated human resources has resulted in increased operational performance for its HPA micro-plant. A maiden high-purity manganese mineral resource estimate is also imminent.

ChemX Materials has established a maiden manganese resource of 13.1 million tonnes at 5.7 per cent manganese at its Jamieson Tank deposit, 150km west of South Australia’s Port of Whyalla. The company says testwork on the resource has shown “excellent” upgrade characteristics through simple gravity and magnetic separation and it will now complete an internal scoping study on the production of high-purity manganese battery-grade products.

ChemX Materials has confirmed the significant 4N (99.99 per cent) purity results from its 100 per cent-owned high-purity alumina “micro-plant” in Perth’s southern suburbs in Western Australia. The results were determined across an impressive spectrum of 66 elements and represent a key milestone for the company – achieved within just a year of commissioning its HPA facility ¬– on its pathway to 5N purity.

ChemX Materials has nailed the vital “4N” (99.99 per cent) product purity in alumina from its trial micro-plant in Perth and is now refocusing on the commissioning of its proposed pilot plant in next year’s first quarter. It confirmed 4N in an analysis of 66 elements, with a best result of just 39ppm total impurities (99.996 per cent purity) – close to 5N.

ChemX Materials has received more than $900,000 through a research and development tax incentive rebate payment for developing its high-purity manganese and alumina projects during the past financial year. Administered by AusIndustry and the Australian Tax Office, the rebate is available for companies investing in research and development programs aimed at sustainably producing critical minerals for the future.

ChemX Materials has been granted a vital patent in Australia for its 100 per cent-owned proprietary disruptive “HiPurA” high-purity alumina process as it eyes commercialisation options. The granted patent opens the pathway to global commercialisation of the company’s scalable and modular system, which it plans to take to pilot testing with plant commissioning planned for the second half of this year.

ChemX Materials has pulled in $1.1m from sophisticated investors to help fund the completion of its High purity alumina pilot plant in Perth. The company will also look to raise another $500k from shareholders in an SPP and ChemX directors will kick $65,000 into the raise. The company’s HPA pilot plant is already 80 per cent complete.

ChemX Materials says it is on the cusp of producing high-purity alumina at scale using its patented “HiPurA” processing technology at its 24-tonne per year pilot plant south of Perth in WA. The company has already achieved 1kg per day production at 99.99 per cent purity at microplant scale and is planning to boost that number to a daily 100kg in pilot – a 100-fold increase.

ChemX Materials has taken a crucial step towards high-purity alumina production after cranking up the early-stage commissioning of a leach circuit at its innovative “HiPurA” pilot plant in Western Australia. The leach circuit is a critical initial part of ChemX’s purification process in its aim to produce 99.99 per cent, or “four nines”, purity HPA from its planned 24-tonne per annum plant.

ChemX Materials has received a $250,000 boost to help drive the commissioning of its high-purity alumina pilot plant in WA and plans to use the first part of its expected Federal Government research and development (R&D) rebate as security for the funding. A further $191,000 is also due in the coming weeks as the company ramps up the commissioning of its high-tech development.

ChemX Materials has secured a patent from the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office for its “HiPurA” processing technology used to produce high-purity alumina (HPA) for application in cutting-edge technologies such as LEDs, semiconductors and lithium-ion batteries. The patent adds to the company’s recently-granted Australian equivalent and helps reinforce its push to become a key HPA producer in Australasia.

ChemX Materials has locked-in an agreement to provide private firm Vytas with high-purity assay services on quartz and synthetic silica samples and expects revenue of between $15,000 to $30,000 per month. The firms will explore the potential to utilise ChemX’s equipment and facilities when the company’s 24tpa pilot plant in the Perth suburb of O’Connor is completed.