23
Oct

Kaolin to alumina process development

Australia Minerals and Mining Group (AMMG), through its wholly owned subsidiary Kaolin Resources, has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Kalamazon Estudos Geologicos (KEG), the wholly owned subsidiary of Kalamazon Minerals. Canadian exploration company Kalamazon is a leading industrial minerals corporation, which is developing a worldclass industrial minerals province within the tax incentive zone near Manaus, Brazil. The MOU provides both parties with the framework to work together in the future to determine whether a licence agreement can be reached for any acid-based kaolin to alumina process that AMMG may develop. The MOU further supports a potential Heads of Agreement for a Joint Venture for the development of one or more of AMMG or KEG’s projects.AMMG, through its wholly owned subsidiary Kaolin Resources, has one granted exploration licence and 11 applications targeting kaolin/aluminous clay in the Yilgarn Craton, southwest Western Australia. The projects extend across four areas: Meckering, Kerrigan, Kellerberrin and Bobalong. The Company has delineated two separate resources on its 100% owned Meckering and Kerrigan kaolin projects, for a combined indicated and inferred resource of 150 Mt at approximately 83-85% brightness with an additional exploration target ranging from 215 to 320 Mt.
The company is currently exploring the potential for the development of the processing of kaolin to alumina via an acid-based technology process.
The company has also signed an exclusive option agreement with the technology holder, Professor Shang, to develop this process. Originally, Professor Shang successfully produced 1.06 kg of 99.5% smelter grade alumina (SGA) and 85 g of 99.99% high purity alumina (HPA) from the company’s Meckering kaolin.
AMMG will continue to work closely with Professor Shang towards advancing and tailoring the unique technology process to the specific attributes of AMMG’s particular kaolin material, which has relatively high alumina (38% Al2O3) and low impurity levels.
Kalamazon, through its subsidiary KEG, is developing the Manaus kaolin deposits in Brazil, with proven reserves of 29 Mt with total kaolin resources of 48 Mt. Kalamazon’s target markets include coating clays, white ceramics and pharmaceuticals.
Guangdong Highsun Yongye (Group), with a 35% interest in Kalamazon, has an off-take agreement to purchase a minimum of 150,000 t/y of high-grade kaolin from the kaolin deposit in Manaus. Approximately $150 million is expected to be invested by KEG in a kaolin project 40 km north of Manaus, according to the Amazonas state government.

Source : http://im-mining.com/