FYI Resources Ltd (ASX: FYI) has successfully concluded the scheduled high purity alumina (HPA) pilot plant trial in collaboration with Alcoa Australia Limited, achieving expected operational performances and further demonstrating the potential for commercial production of HPA via FYI’s innovative flowsheet design.
The pilot plant trial replicated FYI’s designed and engineered process flowsheet. The plant operated continuously for seven consecutive days on a 24 hours a day basis to demonstrate the “end to end” operational efficiency of FYI’s innovative HPA refining process.
Managing Director, Roland Hill, said the objective of the collaborative pilot plant operation was to demonstrate the complete metallurgical process using the best scale up practices to replicate commercial production as a condition precedent to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alcoa.
Mr Hill said the HPA produced during the trial operation was consistent with previous trials and appeared to be of excellent quality. The HPA will be checked for quality control and assurance jointly and then forwarded by FYI to targeted end-user and customer groups for on-going product qualification.
FYI has been in advanced discussions with a number of Tier 1 industry groups across the Lithium-ion battery separator, Sapphire glass and other specialty markets regarding HPA marketing and off-take arrangements. The HPA market is growing at ~17% CAGR according to HPA commodity research group CRU.
We were, yet again, extremely pleased with the pilot plant’s operating performance,” Mr Hill said.
“The project team excelled in delivering in what we consider, a very successful result. FYI’s planned systematic development of our innovative flowsheet continues to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our HPA process.
“The information and data generated from this trial will also lead into further refinements to our final design.
“With the trial now successfully completed, we look forward to receiving the pilot plant trial results in the new year and progressing our project development including continuing the MOU discussions with Alcoa. We see a very active and exciting first half next year.”
FYI has developed an innovative processing flowsheet design that has demonstrated the capability for the production of high purity, high quality HPA. Previous production trials have resulted in outstanding quality HPA which is currently being assessed by potential off-take parties.
FYI and Alcoa entered a MOU in September 2020 for the potential joint development of FYI’s innovative, fully integrated, high quality HPA project.
Collaborative operation and demonstration of FYI’s pilot plant is one of several conditions precedent under the MOU.
