ChemX Materials has secured a patent from the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office for its “HiPurA” processing technology used to produce high-purity alumina (HPA) for application in cutting-edge technologies such as LEDs, semiconductors and lithium-ion batteries.
The patent adds to the company’s recently-granted Australian equivalent and helps reinforce its push to become a key HPA producer in Australasia.
Management says patents for other international jurisdictions also remain pending as it collaborates with its advisors to secure their granting.
ChemX says its wholly-owned HiPuraA technology offers a low-cost and low-energy intensity HPA production method that could potentially support the world’s clean energy transition and provide solutions to lower carbon emissions.
The company has already shown HiPurA’s validity by producing HPA exceeding “four-nines” (99.99%) purity through a micro plant. It is now constructing a 24 tonnes per annum pilot plant in Perth as it looks to advance its technology towards large-scale production.
The pilot plant is designed to produce HPA at a scale that is 100-times greater than the micro plant and deliver product samples for customer qualification that could pave the way for commercialisation.
ChemX Materials chief executive officer Peter Lee said: “Patent awards continue to underpin the global rollout of ChemX’s HiPurA technology and the Company looks forward to accelerating its commercialisation strategy in the key markets including LEDs, semiconductors and electrical vehicles following the successful commissioning of the Pilot Plant and off take negotiations which have begun. Importantly, ChemX expects additional international patents to be awarded over time.”
According to Lee, a key advantage of the HiPurA process is that it is not tied to the development of a mine or any related approvals. That means it can be readily deployed in suitable jurisdictions close to key markets and customers such as the United States, Korea and Japan.
Commissioning of the HiPurA pilot plant is expected in the coming months, with the company already ticking off a string of core tasks related to its construction.
Among others, the pilot plant’s leach module is in a state of operational readiness, as are its precipitation, drying and calcination areas. Reagent delivery systems are also projected to achieve operational readiness next month.
ChemX has also increased its investment in enhanced process safety and control systems to support the permitting process for the plant. Other key statutory activities such as chemical storage prerequisites and waste-water disposal permitting are also progressing.
Separately, the company has locked in nearly $200,000 via a loan facility from Radium Capital to help fund the plant’s development. The cash injection adds to an initial advance of $250,000 that was received from the finance provider earlier this month.
ChemX is using its expected Federal Government research-and-development (R&D) rebate for the 2024 financial year as security for the funding, which is estimated to total about $550,000. It has now received 80 per cent of the proceeds from Radium, with the remaining 20 per cent planned for delivery in the final quarter of the current calendar year.
The company’s commercialisation push for its HiPurA technology appears to be perfectly timed, with the global uptake of HPA soaring on the back of high-tech and clean-energy applications.
The grant of key international patents and the commissioning of the pilot plant could place ChemX in the driver’s seat to becoming a key supplier of critical materials needed for the modern-day world.
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By Bart Bogacz
