ABx Group and its subsidiary ALCORE are redefining the circular economy by turning waste into opportunity and have garnered the Tasmanian Government’s support along the way.
Tassie will provide indicative terms and conditions for a $1 million, zero interest loan to fund the construction and operation of a continuous pilot plant to trial its world-first proprietary process that produces industrial chemicals from waste generated during the aluminium smelting process.
The loan is subject to the confirmation of a site for the pilot plant and the execution of final loan documentation, which are anticipated early in the new year.
ALCORE has developed a world-first process to recover hydrogen fluoride from aluminium smelter bath.
In its planned subsequent commercial plant, earmarked for construction in Bell Bay, Tasmania, the hydrogen fluoride will be converted to aluminium fluoride – an essential ingredient for aluminium smelting and one that is entirely imported to Australia.
The company recently reported an impressive 97 per cent fluorine recovery from its bath pilot two-stage fluorine reactor, including a record-breaking 85 per cent recovery from the first stage, marking a major milestone for fluorine recovery from aluminium smelter bath.
Fluorine is a critical element due to its highly reactive nature and plays a pivotal role across numerous industries, often as a key intermediate.
Its applications range from producing hydrofluoric acid - essential for manufacturing fluorocarbons, plastics and electronics - to creating uranium hexafluoride for nuclear reactors. Fluorine is also indispensable in making lubricants, dyes, pesticides and chemicals, as well as in steel production, dental products, oil and water repellents, fire-fighting foam, fabric stain resistance and MRI medical scans. It is a critical component in producing sulphur hexafluoride, a vital insulating gas for high-power electrical transformers.
Bath, also known as cryolite, is a sodium aluminium fluoride compound used in the aluminium smelting process. It serves as a covering agent during electrolysis, which helps reduce melting temperatures and energy consumption.
Over time the bath material is recycled by extracting it from the melting pots alongside the used anode. It is cooled, crushed, screened and stored for reuse in subsequent smelting operations.
ABx Group managing director and CEO Mark Cooksey said: “Securing the support of the Tasmanian Government is an endorsement of ALCORE’s potential and allows us to commence construction of the continuous pilot plant. This is a significant advantage as we move closer to our goal of recycling fluorine waste into industrial chemicals at commercial scale. The next 12 months will be very exciting for ALCORE.“
The initial plant is proposed to transform 1600 tonnes per year of aluminium smelter bath into hydrogen fluoride and other industrial chemicals. A proportion of the hydrogen fluoride will be further processed into aluminium fluoride.
The relative amounts of hydrogen fluoride and aluminium fluoride can be optimised to suit market demand.
Despite Australia being the world’s seventh largest aluminium producer, the country produces zero fluorine, and its smelters are entirely dependent on external sources of aluminium fluoride – primarily imports from China – to maintain smelting operations.
ALCORE’s ultimate strategy is certainly ambitious.
The company plans to scale the pilot plant 15-fold, which would be enough to process all of Australia’s smelter bath. It would also provide a secured supply source for 80 per cent of the country’s aluminium fluoride requirements.
Buoyed by a boost from the Apple Island, ABx and ALCORE are nudging closer to closing the loop with its innovative technology and leading the charge for Australia towards self-sufficiency with this critical element.
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By Helen Barling
