Emerging mineral processing technology company Zeotech (ASX:ZEO) has received a cash refund of about $682,019 from its R&D tax incentive claim for the past financial year.
The Australian federal government’s R&D Tax Incentive Program provides a cash refund on eligible research and development activities performed by Australian companies and supports domestic innovation.
The rebate received relates to the company’s expenditure on the development of its proprietary mineral processing technology for the sustainable production of manufactured zeolites, together with advancing its dual stream agri-soil product development and methane emissions control technology.
Zeotech, which has a $52 million market capitalisation, is leveraging proprietary technology for the low-cost production of advanced materials ‘manufactured zeolites’ to deliver solutions aimed at addressing sustainability challenges.
The company’s products include kaolin, metakaolin, and zeolite.
Zeotech produces targeted zeolite product samples from its laboratory and these can be evaluated by interested commercial organisations. The company’s portfolio of zeolite synthesis technologies (patent-pending and trade-secret) are capable of producing a range of targeted grades and products.
Manufactured zeolites are aluminosilicates with a sponge-like structure, made up of tiny pores (frameworks) that make them useful as catalysts or ultrafine filters.
Zeolites act much like a magnet that can hold cations, heavy metals, ammonia, low level radioactive elements, toxins, petrochemicals, many different types of gases and various solutions.
Kaolinite is an industrial mineral belonging to the group of aluminosilicates. Kaolin’s commercial attributes primarily revolve around being chemically inert over a wide pH range, brightness, film strength, whiteness, opacity, gloss, viscosity, low heat and low electrical conductivity, which leads to a diversified range of industrial applications.
Zeotech’s approved mining lease (ML 80126) hosts ‘high-grade’ kaolin near surface, offering cost effective immediate access to direct shipping ore (DSO).
The company says its Toondoon project represents some of the highest-grade alumina, low iron raw ore kaolin in Australia. The high alumina content will allow the ore to be suitable to a number of sectors including the white cement industry, refractories, and fibreglass manufacturing.
Metakaolin is a semi-calcined kaolin which is used to enhance the performance characteristics of cement-based mortars, concretes, and related products. It contributes to increased compressive and flexural strength, reduced permeability and shrinkage, greater durability, reduces potential for efflorescent and control degradation caused by alkali silica reaction.
Metakaolin has also shown increasing demand as a supplementary cementitious replacement for clinker, a key ingredient in cement production, due to its potential to materially reduce the carbon intensity of producing cement, resulting in green cement.
Zeotech notes the cement and concrete industry represent circa 8% of global emissions and studies have shown metakaolin can enable the associated CO2 emissions of producing concrete to be reduced by up to 40%.
The Australian cement and concrete industry has declared its commitment to net zero carbon concrete by 2050.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Zeotech
