Australia's Andromeda Metals Produces 99.9986% High-Purity Alumina in Pilot Run
en.Wedoany.com Reported - Andromeda Metals (ASX: ADN), an Australian company, has produced high-purity alumina (HPA) from Great White kaolin in a continuous pilot plant, with a measured purity of 99.9986%. This result surpasses the 4N (99.99%) high-purity alumina purity threshold, indicating that a production process previously achievable only in the laboratory is now feasible for continuous scale-up.
High-purity alumina is used in applications ranging from lithium-ion battery separators, light-emitting diodes, semiconductors, synthetic sapphire, and advanced ceramics.
Independent testing was conducted by EAG Laboratories, part of Eurofins Scientific (EPA: ERF), using glow discharge mass spectrometry, which measured total metal impurity content at 14.47 ppm. Converted using standard industry calculation methods, the primary purity is 99.9986%; under a more conservative approach that includes reporting limits for elements below the detection limit, the purity is 99.9963%. Both results meet 4N specifications.
Acting Chief Executive Officer Sarah Clarke stated that this pilot result further validates the company's proprietary process capability to produce 4N high-purity alumina beyond the laboratory. She noted that the company first achieved 4N high-purity alumina at laboratory scale and has now replicated the same specification under continuous pilot operating conditions.
As planned, the pilot plant will operate continuously throughout 2026, with tasks including preparing samples for potential customers, optimizing process flows, testing operating parameters, and accumulating engineering data for the planned pre-feasibility study. The company expects samples to be delivered for customer evaluation in the second half of 2026, with supply coverage extending to its indicative supply agreement with privately held Traxys North America.
The company's 2025 scoping study evaluated a phased production approach, with a maximum annual output of 10,000 tonnes. The study, based on a 10% discount rate, estimated a pre-tax net present value of approximately US$1.48 billion and average annual EBITDA of US$247 million. The company also emphasized that these estimates remain subject to verification through subsequent technical work, customer testing, and commercial-scale production assessments.
Additionally, the company is evaluating the recovery potential of by-products such as amorphous silica and gallium, with silica samples currently sent for analysis to determine their physicochemical properties and identify potential uses.
