⛏️ Kula Gold Limited notes news of Alcoa Corporation (a Fortune 500 company) announcing plans to growing the HPA market in Australia, with the release of their plans for the potential construction of a full-scale, 8,000 metric-ton-per-year (mtpy) HPA plant in 2024.
“As a high-value product that will play an important role in a low-carbon future, the production of HPA is strategically aligned with Alcoa’s commitment to advance sustainably,” said Tim Reyes, Alcoa Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “This project is a natural complement to Alcoa’s existing business that builds on our expertise in alumina refining technology development and our production capability.”
Kula Gold made a significant discovery of Kaolin and Halloysite at its Boomerang Kaolin Prospect tenement in April 2021, when RC drilling intersected thick >42m vertical kaolin clay development over the 300m drilled length.
Figure 1. Cross Section of the Boomerang prospect RC drilling showing thick zones of Kaolin clays.
On August 17, 2021 the company announced SEM imaging at the CSIRO had confirmed the qualitative nature of Halloysite discovered at the project.
Figure 2. SEM Image from Boomerang Kaolin Project
Kula believes the Exploration Target for planned follow up RC Drilling in late 2021 is between 30 and 100Mt of kaolin material based on the current thickness and the nature of the process that forms the wide zones of kaolin in weathered granite.
Per the Alcoa of Australia release dated 1 October 2021.
Alcoa of Australia Limited (AoA), a subsidiary of Alcoa Corporation, has executed a binding term sheet with Western Australia-based FYI Resources Ltd (ASX: FYI) for development activities to produce highpurity alumina, or HPA.
“As a high-value product that will play an important role in a low-carbon future, the production of HPA is
strategically aligned with Alcoa’s commitment to advance sustainably,” said Tim Reyes, Alcoa Executive
Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “This project is a natural complement to Alcoa’s existing
business that builds on our expertise in alumina refining technology development and our production
capability.”Market applications for the non-metallurgical alumina, which is characterized by high brightness, resistance to corrosion, and capacity to accommodate high temperatures, include materials critical to the global energy transition, such as LED lighting that consumes less power and lasts longer and lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Other high-tech applications include mobile devices and products used in the medical and aeronautical sectors.
The project follows a successful trial, in December 2020, that used Alcoa feedstock to consistently produce HPA at more than 99.99% Al2O3 (aluminum oxide) purity.
“Alcoa and FYI have complementary skills, experience and knowledge that combined will help to accelerate our entry into the HPA market, which is expected to have a compounded annual growth rate of nearly 20 percent to 2028,” Mr. Reyes added.
High Purity Alumina (HPA) is a non-metallurgical premium alumina product characterised by a minimum purity of 99.99% (4N). It is produced from Kaolin processing it through a variety of metallurgical processes to produce a 4N product. HPA is used as a base material in the manufacture of a variety of products.
Read more about Kaolin and HPA here.
– News Release –
Date: 5 October 2021 | ASX Code: KGD
About the Company
Kula Gold Ltd (ASX: KGD) is a Western Australia gold exploration company focussed on large land positions and structural geological settings capable of hosting ~1m oz deposits.
The company has projects within the Southern Cross WA region including Marvel Loch, Rankin Dome and Westonia, as well as near Kurnalpi and Brunswick. The company has a history of large gold resource discoveries with its foundation Woodlark Island project in PNG.
Contact the Company Secretary on Tel: +61(08) 6144 0592 or via cosec@kulagold.com.au
