ABx Group (ASX:ABX) says results from additional runs at its 83% owned subsidiary ALCORE’s bath pilot batch reactor are showing higher fluorine recovery.
Since late January 2024, ALCORE has conducted three further runs, which indicate the ‘significant’ impacts of feed particle sizes on fluorine recovery, with a maximum of 80% being achieved from a single process stage using the bath pilot batch reactor alone.
ABx, which has a market capitalisation of $14 million, says analysis of the results suggests a second stage process utilising a different reactor configuration may be required to further increase the fluorine recovery to over 90%.
This has been anticipated for some time and has been included into the design of the continuous pilot plant, as some existing analogous commercial processes involve two stages.
Managing Director and CEO Dr Mark Cooksey says: “As anticipated, the newly commissioned equipment which allowed bath feed particle size to be optimised has assisted in achieving a higher recovery of fluorine in the latest test runs.
The next stage of development work is planned to involve using the existing specialised laboratory reactor to serve as the second process stage. It is anticipated that the combination of the bath pilot batch reactor and the specialised laboratory reactor can produce a higher fluorine recovery.”
Cooksey adds that the company is in the process of planning additional reactor tests over the coming months.
As previously reported, since the reactor was commissioned in October 2023, ALCORE has conducted several test runs involving 10kg of bath and sulfuric acid.
The company previously reported assay results from the first three test runs, with samples from the third test run showing 70% fluorine recovery.
The bath pilot batch reactor is operating at the ALCORE Technology Centre on the New South Wales coast and has been designed for the recovery of fluorine from ‘excess bath’ to produce hydrogen fluoride.
ABx Group is a high-tech Australian company focused on delivering materials for a cleaner future, including rare earths, bauxite, hydrogen fluoride, and aluminium fluoride.
As of 31 December 2023, the company had $5.82 million in cash and cash equivalents at hand, according to its latest quarterly report. Post-quarter-end, ABx raised $615,960 via a share purchase plan.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: ABx Group
