Up to 50% energy saving confirmed by subsequent titanium metal production

Highlights:

  • Subsequent run of pilot plant produces another 22kg of titanium metal alloy
  • This test run confirms this patented metal production method uses up to 50% less energy than current commercial production methods
  • Electrorefining process to produce high purity (99.9%) titanium metal progressing with results expected in August

ASM’s Joint Venture (JV) with Korean R&D partner Ziron Tech has successfully produced another run of titanium metal alloy at the JV commercial pilot plant in South Korea. This subsequent run produced approximately 22kg and confirmed energy savings of up to 50% compared to current commercial production methods.

ASM is successfully progressing the pilot plant testwork on low emission, high purity metal technology to produce zirconium, titanium and rare earths for permanent magnet metals. The production of metals indicates significant cost benefits to ASM’s integrated business strategy and is key in the development of the Dubbo Project to supply critical materials.

The commissioning of the electrorefining section of the pilot plant is proceeding, which will produce ultra-high purity metal, including neodymium, praseodymium, other rare earth metals, zirconium and hafnium metal.

ASM Managing Director, David Woodall said, “Our progress towards an independent fully integrated ’mine to metal‘ business of critical materials is continuing very well. ASM’s focus is to be a stable, secure and alternate supplier of clean metals for the domestic and global markets with the production of these metals coming from our Dubbo Project in Central West NSW. The clean metal technology can be applied to all the products from the Dubbo Project with our focus on the key critical materials of neodymium, dysprosium, zirconium, hafnium and praseodymium.

“ASM management is currently in Korea to progress discussions on the commencement of a definitive feasibility of a clean metals plant and the progress of a joint Australian / Korean strategy that could ensure supply security and stability of these critical materials to the Australian and Korean manufacturing sectors.”

ASM continues with the optimisation of the Dubbo Project through the integration of flotation into the proven flowsheet seeking improved project capital and operating costs. ASM’s JV partner continues work which reinforces our metallisation strategy focussing on the products that will be sourced from the Dubbo Project.

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JV produces high quality neodymium metal alloy

Australian Strategic Materials’ (ASM) Korean research and development partner, Ziron Tech has completed its preliminary work on the metallisation of neodymium oxide feed producing approximately 1kg of neodymium metal alloy in the laboratory from its patented reduction process in South Korea. The JV is targeting 45% less energy use in its rare earth metallisation process than the current industrial process.

NeodymiumHighlights:

  • Successful laboratory production of ~ 1kg of neodymium metal alloy.
  • Assaying confirms an intermediate neodymium (87%) alloy ingot.
  • Electrorefining to produce a 99.9% Nd metal is anticipated by the end of July.
  • Commercial Pilot Plant production of larger quantities of neodymium and praseodymium metal alloys expected to be complete at the end of July 2020.
  • Metallisation process targets 45% less energy for rare earth metal production than the current industrial process.

This is the first stage of the production of critical metals used in a range of sustainable technologies and new manufacturing industries such as renewable energy and electric vehicle production.

ASM, with its Korean JV partner, will continue to progress the innovative low emission, high purity metal refining technology to produce metals of zirconium, titanium, rare earths and other critical materials for the renewable energy, speciality alloys and permanent magnet markets.

As noted previously, the commissioning of the electrorefining section of the pilot plant, which will produce high purity metal, is planned in July 2020. Further pilot plant runs are planned to produce neodymium, praseodymium, and other rare earths in metallic form.

Australian Strategic Materials Managing Director, David Woodall said: “This is a major milestone in ASM’s integrated strategy that includes clean metal production for all products from the development of the Dubbo Project in Central West NSW. This integration of metal production into ASM’s business is consistent with the Australian Government’s objective of adding value within Australia, while ensuring supply security and stability of these critical materials to global and domestic Australian manufacturing sectors.”

ASM and its JV partner continue to progress the second phase of its metallisation strategy focussing on the production of zirconium metal in July 2020, focused on delivering significantly improved economics of its Dubbo project as well as giving it an involvement in the wider commercialisation of a breakthrough technology.

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ASM’S JV produces titanium metal alloy with 45% power saving

Highlights include:

  • Commercial pilot plant commissioned on time and on budget
  • ~30kg of titanium metal alloy was produced during the commissioning of the Commercial
    pilot plant
  • In the next phase, the alloy will be used to produce high purity (99.9%) titanium metal via
    the Electro refining process
  • The patented method of metal production utilizes 45% less power than current industry methods

ASM’s Korean research and development partner, Ziron Tech has successfully produced a titanium metal alloy with the patented reduction process at the JV’s commercial pilot plant in South Korea.

Typically, in metal production, energy costs accounted between 30 – 40% of total costs. The production of the titanium metal alloy utilising 45% less power indicates significant cost benefits to ASM’s integrated business strategy.

ASM’s Managing Director, David Woodall said: “This is a significant milestone in the development of our integrated business plan that includes clean metal production from the development of the Dubbo Project in Central West NSW. The clean metal technology can be applied to all the products from the Dubbo Project.”

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ASM’S Korean partner receives US$4.5 million grant from Korean government for clean metals R&D

The Korean Government has awarded US$4.5 million in grants to ASM’s Korean R&D partner Zirconium Technology Corporation (Ziron Tech) to use to progress its commitment to the Joint Venture (JV) with ASM. The grants were awarded as part of the Korean Government’s US$5 billion Industrial Technological Program, led by the Korean Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources as it seeks to establish clean metal supply independence and advance material technology for future market demand.

Ziron Tech has received funding for the development of a low emission, high purity metal refining technology that can be applied to zirconium, titanium, rare earths for permanent magnet alloys. This development is occurring in JV with ASM who has the exclusive rights to the commercialisation of the technology worldwide. The technology is intended to replace conventional energy-intensive metallisation processes with a more environmentally friendly, sustainable and cost-effective alternative.

Australian Strategic Materials Managing Director, David Woodall said: “We are pleased that both ASM and the technology we are developing in partnership with Ziron Tech has been recognised by the Korean Government as critical in its journey to ensuring sovereign supply for critical materials. The technology to produce critical metals adds value to our project and is key to the growth of Korea’s and Australia’s new technology and manufacturing sectors, with the strong government focus on increasing domestic production to secure supply stability.”

The JV between ASM and Ziron Tech is finalising the commissioning of its commercial pilot plant facility to produce these high-purity metals in parallel with developing the design for the world’s first commercial-scale metal plant.

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Alkane invests in clean, high purity processing technology

ASM is to invest in a new clean metal and high purity processing technology being developed in South Korea.

The technology converts metal oxides into metals through a carbon-free electrolytic process, with oxygen as a by-product, making it a cost-effective and environmentally superior alternative.

It has been proven to be applicable to zirconium, hafnium, and permanent magnet rare earths metals (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium).

These elements together represent over 80% of forecast revenue streams from ASM’s development-ready zirconium and rare earths project at Dubbo in central west New South Wales.

ASM is investing US$1.2 million towards a pilot plant facility to complete late-stage piloting and a feasibility study for larger-scale development and commercialisation of the process

In return ASM will have a 10 per cent interest in the developing company as well as exclusive rights to use the technology at commercial scale in relation to zirconium and hafnium.

ASM’s agreement is with a South Korean company, Zirconium Technology Corporation, with the research having been developed by scientists at Chungnam National University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Daejeon.

The technology has the potential to replace the Kroll process, a highly energy-intensive process that has been used broadly in the industry since its development in the 1940s, with a more environmentally sustainable process which, when commercialised, is estimated to reduce metallisation costs by in excess of 50%.

ASM considers this investment in downstream processing will improve the economics of its Dubbo project as well as giving it involvement in the wider commercialisation of a breakthrough technology.

The pilot plant is expected to run throughout 2019 and 2020, putting ASM in a position in 2020 to make a final investment decision about wider investment in commercialisation.

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