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ChemX Materials (ASX:CMX) (ChemX or the Company), a materials technology company focused on providing critical materials required for electrification and decarbonisation, is pleased to present its June 2022 Quarterly Activities report.
- Achieved 99.7% manganese sulphate purity in initial testwork program from samples taken at Jamieson Tank deposit, South Australia
- Marketing and Advisory Agreement entered with Amvest Capital Inc. in the USA
- Appointment of Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- Outstanding rare earths elements (REE) assays from Eyre Peninsula projects, South Australia
- Loyalty Options Offer to shareholders oversubscribed
- High Purity Alumina (HPA) Micro Plant initial commissioning completed with optimisation progressed
The Company is developing its HiPurATM High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project in Perth, Western Australia and has two projects on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia – the Kimba Kaolin / Rare Earth Elements (REE) Project and the Jamieson Tank Manganese Project.
During the quarter, ChemX made significant progress in the commissioning of its High Purity Alumina Micro Plant in Perth and continues to optimise the process design, equipment modifications and scale.
At the Company’s Jamieson Tank Manganese project in South Australia, outstanding testwork results showed high manganese sulphate purity could be achieved with the chosen flowsheet, giving confidence that manganese from the Jamieson Tank project is well suited for further processing into high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) to be used in lithium battery cathodes.
Figure 1: High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate from initial testwork program
ChemX reported10 outstanding results from an initial batch of reconnaissance REE assays, which were returned from air core drilling across the Eyre Peninsula tenements, highlighting the prospectivity of the tenements for ionically adsorbed REE.
ChemX Managing Director David Leavy commented: “It has been a busy and very productive quarter for ChemX as we have made good progress across all our projects. We appointed a highly credentialled and experienced Chief Operating Officer and rewarded shareholders with the Loyalty Options Offer, which was completed post the end of the June quarter with a very high level of support. We look forward to reporting further progress on the HiPurATM HPA Micro Plant the HiPurATM Pilot Plant Prefeasibility Study( PFS), and the two South Australian projects in due course.”
HiPurATM High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project, Perth
On 24 June 20221 ChemX reported it had completed commissioning of the individual stages of its HPA Micro Plant and was undergoing final stage integrated process commissioning.
The key objectives from the HPA Micro Plant operation are:
- Optimisation of process and controls under continuous operation
- Achieving a 99.99% (4N) purity HPA on a consistent basis
- Ongoing production of samples of HPA for customer qualification testing
- Research and development on the development of additional products for assessment, including achieving a targeted 99.999% (5N) purity
The HiPurATM HPA process, 100% owned by the Company, is expected to produce HPA with significantly lower levels of energy and reagent usage, resulting in lower capital and operating costs than most incumbent and potential producers.
ChemX has extended the HiPurATM Pilot Plant Prefeasibility Study into Q3 2022 to enable it to be further optimised.
Jamieson Tank Manganese and Kimba Kaolin / REE Projects, South Australia
In early April 2022, the Company completed testing on a composite sample of manganese ore taken from historical reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Jamieson Tank Manganese Project by the previous tenement owners. The testing program, designed to identify the efficacy of the chosen process for the company’s High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HPMSM) project13, produced manganese sulphate crystals with 99.7% purity. To achieve near specification quality without significant purification steps is very encouraging. Further work on the production of HPMSM is planned to commence in August on ore samples from the recent ChemX drilling campaign at Jamieson Tank.
Late in May 2022, ChemX reported assays from drilling of kaolin and manganese targets at the Eyre Peninsula tenements which highlighted the prospectivity for ionically adsorbed REE.
ChemX’s Eyre Peninsula tenements cover the Kimba Kaolin / REE Project and Jamieson Tank Manganese Project, which was historically explored for manganese and kaolin prior to ChemX ownership. ChemX’s maiden air core program returned high REE results at both Kimba and Jamieson Tank.
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This article includes content from ChemX Materials, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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ChemX Materials
Overview
ChemX Materials (ASX:CMX) is a critical materials company developing innovative processing technology to produce high purity alumina for advanced technology and clean energy applications.
ChemX Materials’ 100 percent owned, Australian patented HiPurA® process technology offers a low cost and energy intensity production method to produce high purity alumina (HPA).
HPA is used in advanced technology and clean energy applications including lithium-ion batteries, LEDs, semiconductors and synthetic sapphires. Synthetic sapphires are critical in the production of applications such as smart watches, iPhones and laptop screens.
Company Highlights
- ChemX Materials Limited (ChemX Materials) is an Australian company developing an innovative, processing technology to produce high-purity alumina (HPA), this process is called HiPurA®.
- ChemX Materials owns 100 percent of HiPurA® and was granted an Australian patent for this technology in January 2024.
- High purity alumina is used in advanced technology and clean energy applications including lithium-ion batteries, LEDs, semiconductors, smart watches and iPhones.
- The HiPurA® process is modular, scalable and uses a readily available aluminous chemical as its feedstock, therefore is not reliant on mine production offtake, all of which enable the technology to be deployed close to end users' manufacturing operations.
- ChemX Materials has proven HiPurA® can produce above 4N (99.99 percent) high purity alumina at micro plant scale. This testwork indicates HiPurA® is low in cost and energy intensity.
- ChemX Materials is constructing a pilot plant to demonstrate HiPurA® can work at scale, which is the next step towards commercialisation. The pilot plant construction is underway and on track for commissioning in June 2024.
Key Business Segments
High Purity Alumina Processing Technology - HiPurA®
ChemX Materials is developing an innovative processing technology to produce high-purity alumina (HPA). This process is called HiPurA®. ChemX Materials owns 100 percent and holds an Australian patent for HiPurA®. ChemX Materials has proven HiPurA® can produce above 4N (99.99 percent) pure HPA at micro plant scale. This test work has also demonstrated that HiPurA® is superior compared to alternative technologies, offering several advantages, including:
- Lower costs – both capital and operating.
- Independent feedstock - – process is not tied to mine production and uses a readily available aluminous industrial chemical.
- Easily scalable – production output can increase based on demand.
- Modular – can be built near end users’ manufacturing operations.
- Optionality – patented technology can be licenced to end users.
- Lower carbon footprint – technology is not energy intensive.
HPA has several applications, the most important being lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage applications. HPA is used in the coating of the battery separator to enhance safety and performance. The outlook for EVs is very promising. With the adoption of EVs growing rapidly year on year as governments across the globe deploy domestic incentives and regulations to reduce the use of internal combustion engines to meet net zero targets.
HPA is also a key in the production of synthetic sapphire, which is used in LEDs, semiconductors, lasers, optical lenses and medical devices.
ChemX Materials has proven its HiPurA® technology can achieve above 99.99 percent (4N) HPA purity at micro plant scale. Following the technical success of the micro plant, ChemX Materials is constructing a 24 tpa pilot plant in Western Australia. The pilot plant is expected to be operational in June 2024.
In January 2024, ChemX Materials was granted an Australian Patent for its innovative HiPurA® technology. Based on the success of the Australian patent, it is anticipated that ChemX Materials will be afforded similar protections in other international jurisdictions. The patent is important as it provides intellectual property protection as ChemX Materials seeks to commercialise the technology globally.
HPA production from the pilot plant will be used for customer qualification and marketing purposes. ChemX Materials is actively pursuing commercial opportunities globally. Commercialisation options include:
- Build, own, operate a commercial scale plant to sell high purity alumina to end users.
- Licence the HiPurA® technology for deployment at end users’ manufacturing locations.
High Purity Manganese Project
ChemX Materials is developing a high purity manganese project. The Jamieson Tank project is located on two exploration tenements, EL 5920 and EL 6634 in the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. These tenements collectively cover an area of 718 km2.
ChemX Materials completed a 94-hole drill program at the Jamieson Tank project, totaling 6,164 metres and released its maiden Mineral Resource Estimate in September 2023. The Mineral Resource Estimate reported 13.1 Mt at 5.7 percent manganese, with 21 percent classified as Indicated and 79 percent classified as Inferred.
High purity manganese has essential applications in lithium-ion batteries as a cathode material. Manganese provides energy density, stability and lower costs and is a critical material for modern battery chemistries. As the world pursues decarbonisation it is forecasted that the demand for manganese will grow.
With the objective of the United States Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to reduce its reliance on Chinese sources of critical minerals, by 2025, the Jamieson Tank project is an important prospect. China currently supplies around 95 percent of the global manganese sulphate.
The South Australian jurisdiction offers excellent infrastructure. The Jamieson Tank project is in a province that is characterised by rapidly growing renewable energy infrastructure (wind, solar and hydrogen) and access to a local skilled workforce. The Jamieson Tank project is accessible by road, approximately 160 kms from the port of Whyalla and near a major regional airport.
The tenements in which the Jamieson Tank project is located also host kaolin and rare earth elements (REE) deposits. The area has historically been well known and explored for its potential for kaolin. The Kelly Tank exploration target is estimated to be 55 - 130 Mt of extractable kaolin.
In 2022, ChemX Materials undertook a drilling program and identified REE hosted within the kaolin throughout the tenements. The drilling program intersected high-grade REE mineralisation with intervals of up to 5 metres @2,468 parts per million total rare earth oxides from 7 metres. Importantly, it remains open in various directions, providing potential exploration upside for future drill programs.
Management Team
Peter Lee – Chief Executive Officer
20+ years’ experience across mining, metals processing and chemical industries within Canada and Australia. Lee has held technical leadership roles with companies including Rio Tinto, BHP, Roy Hill and WSPGolder. He is an expert in refining and electrochemical processes and a registered P. Eng Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, Canada, and a member of AusIMM and AICD.
Warrick Hazeldine – Non-executive Chair
Warrick Haseldine has more than 20 years of experience across capital markets and strategic communications with a focus on battery materials. He is the co-founder of advisory firm Cannings Purple, and former chair and non-executive director of Global Lithium Resources Ltd (ASX:GL1). Hazeldine is currently a director of Surfing WA, advisory board member of Curtin University, and a non-executive director of Purple.
Stephen Strubel – Executive Director and Company Secretary
Stephen Strubel is the company founder with 20 years’ experience in finance and corporate governance. Struber held a senior leadership role with Patersons Securities and has been a director and company secretary for ASX-listed companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in banking and international trade from Victoria University and an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.
Alwyn Vorster – Non-executive Director
Alwyn Vorster has 30+ years’ experience in the resources industry, spanning several commodities including rare earths, iron ore, bauxite, potash and salt. Vorster has several senior leadership positions including chief executive officer of Hastings (ASX:HAS) and managing director of BCI Minerals (ASX:BCI) and Iron Ore Holdings (ASX:IOH). Vorster is currently non-executive director of Lindian Resources (ASX:LIN) and Arrow Minerals (ASX:AMD).
Heritage Clearances Received for Priority Drill Targets at Abbotts North
HIGHLIGHTS
- Heritage clearances have been received for areas covering priority lithium pegmatite targets at the Abbotts North Project.
- Main Buttamiah Prospect now accessible for the February RC program
- Track and drill pad establishment has commenced and RC drilling rig is mobilising to site.
Richard Taylor, CEO of Premier1, said:
“With the receipt of the heritage survey report and the recent approval of the Programme of Work applications by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, we now have in place all the environmental and heritage approvals required for the first drilling program at Abbotts North. I thank the traditional owners of Abbotts North, the Ngoonooru Wajarri, for their advice and involvement in the process.
With site mobilisation having commenced and the RC rig already on its way, this is an important and exciting phase for Premier1.”
Priority Targets
The survey area covers the main Buttamiah Prospect where several parallel lithium bearing pegmatites have been mapped and sampled. The pegmatites strike approximately east west and single pegmatites can be traced in strike over an extended area. The RC program has been designed to test the depth and extent of the mineralised pegmatite field.
There remain further priority targets at the Abbotts North Project based on the latest completion of the first phase of field mapping, rock chip sampling and soil geochemistry in December 2023. The results from the soil survey highlighted areas of interest with anomalous responses comparable to the geochemical signature over the main Buttamiah Prospect (ASX 22 January 2024). Further follow up fieldwork will be conducted to assess these new priority targets and plan for further heritage clearance surveys.
Heritage Survey
The first heritage clearance survey at Abbotts North was completed by Archaeological Excavations Pty Ltd in conjunction with the Ngoonooru Wajarri people, who are the traditional owners of the lands and waters. The survey was conducted over several days, with participants from Archaelogical Excavations, the traditional owners and Premier1.
Figure 1: Abbotts North Survey Area.
Programme of Work (“PoW”) approvals have been received from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulations and Safety (“DMIRS”) for 4.92ha of land within Exploration Licence E51/2126 (Table 1).
Premier1 Lithium now has in place sufficient PoW and heritage clearances to conduct RC drilling over the main target areas at the Abbotts North Project. The first drilling program is planned for approximately 2,000m. The focus is to define the continuity and extent of lithium mineralisation evident in rock chip samples taken from surface within the main Buttamiah Prospect.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from SensOre, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
ChemX Materials Investor Kit
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
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