Orbite Technologies' Cap-Chat-based HPA plant has started the production sequence
Photo by: Orbite Technologies
VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Quebec-based clean-tech firm Orbite Technologies has started the production sequence at its high-purity alumina (HPA) plant.
The TSX-listed firm reported on Friday that it had completed commissioning and start-up activities of the digestion circuit, with the first batch of feedstock digestion starting on Friday afternoon. This would be followed by another batch early on Saturday morning.
Orbite reported that the crystallisation circuit was also being commissioned and that the start-up was well advanced, with the first batches of liquor, produced in the digestion circuit, expected to be transferred to the crystallisation circuit over the weekend, for first production of aluminium chloride hexahydrate (ACH) crystals. ACH crystals are the precursor to HPA.
According to Orbite, production will continue in batch mode in these two circuits while it carries out extensive testing on the digester liquors and ACH crystals, to ensure that production and purity criteria are met. Each full digestion and crystallisation batch cycle will initially take about three-and-a-half days to complete.
Once the ACH crystals meet the purity criteria, they will be transferred to the decomposer and calciner circuit for HPA production.
Once production and purity criteria are met in all three circuits, the plant will switch over to semi-continuous operation mode and ramp-up to nameplate capacity will commence, Orbite advised.
"We are entering a very exciting phase in our evolution as a company and we would like to thank our employees and contractors for their sustained and concentrated efforts over the last months,” stated Orbite CEO Glenn Kelly.