Pilot plant to produce established ALS Global Hydrometallurgy Centre of Excellence
Second stage refining to produce nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate and 4N high purity alumina
Offtake discussions ongoing, demand enough to consider scaling up TECH project
London — Australia's Pure Minerals expects operations at the pilot plant of its subsidiary Queensland Pacific Metals' Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH) project in Queensland to start operations in the fourth quarter, with the first stage producing nickel-cobalt mixed hydroxide precipitate and other intermediate products.
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Register NowThe company said Sept. 3 that the second stage pilot to refine these products into battery chemical nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate and 4N high purity alumina was expected to start in early 2021.
Pilot plant operations were pushed back after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the design and costing of the pilot plant modifications. However, Pure Minerals said delays had been reduced after a tender process for work streams found that the newly established ALS Global Hydrometallurgy Centre of Excellence in Perth already had most of the standard components required to assemble the pilot plant, making it the best location for the stage one piloting from a cost and schedule perspective.
Pure Minerals said there was now a "tangible path forward that has reduced costs and minimized COVID- related delays."
"This path retains the required technical standards so that the results of the piloting can feed directly into a bankable feasibility study (BFS)," it said.
ALS has started assembling the direct nickel (DNi) processing flowsheet plant and QPM has prepared the bulk ore sample from its New Caledonian ore supply partner for processing during the fourth quarter.
Pilot stage two refining will take place at a Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) laboratory in Perth, with preparation for the refining due to start imminently.
The company said it had also been in ongoing discussions with end users for MHP, nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate offtakes, as well as project involvement through investments or partnerships.
According to the prefeasibility study, nickel sulfate produced at the TECH project is due to contain around 5,900 mt of nickel metal, but Pure Minerals said it was looking at the possibility of increasing the project's scale to meet demand, as multiple parties were looking for higher quantities.
Pure Minerals said a larger scale could improve the project's economics through higher revenue and lower unit costs, and improve attractiveness to offtakers and strategic partners, although it would also be taking capex and the ability to obtain funding into consideration.
It said it would be locking down the scale of the project before starting the BFS.
"These discussions have reinforced to QPM the attractiveness of the ECH project and the anticipated demand growth for the nickel sulfate and Class 1 nickel," it said. "These products are required to manufacture battery precursor chemicals in order to meet the expected growth in battery manufacturing and the electric vehicle sector."
Pure Minerals CEO Stephen Grocott said the recent discussions had increased his belief in the fundamentals driving the anticipated demand growth for battery chemicals.
"I am pleased that the TECH project and DNi technology can form part of the new nickel supply required to meet this demand," he said.
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Australia's Pure Minerals to start pilot plant output of nickel-cobalt hydroxide in Q4 - S&P Global
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