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Australian Bauxite Ltd has provides 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.