King River Resources Ltd’s (ASX:KRR) contractors Como Engineers have completed the engineering studies to provide detailed capital and operating cost estimares for the Kwinana high-purity alumina pre-feasibility study (PFS).
Como are finalising the engineering report as well as the layout graphics for inclusion while FTI Consulting completes the economic financial model.
Search continues for industrial site in Kwinana
The company has continued investigations with government agencies and private owners for an appropriate industrial site in the Kwinana area, around 30-40 kilometres south of Perth in Western Australia.
This location is ideal as it has feedstock and reagent suppliers, infrastructure, port, energy supply, and a skilled workforce.
Source Certain International (SCI) is assisting KRR to build a mini-pilot plant to demonstrate KRR’s ARC HPA refining process at a larger scale for the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and to produce market samples.
A process flowsheet and mass balances have been used to scale the mini-pilot plant and enquiries with vessel vendors are underway.
The 1500°C rotary tube furnace, used for the calcination stage of the process, has been delivered and is currently being installed.
Metallurgical developments
Metallurgical HPA test work will be ongoing to further optimise the ARC HPA process for the DFS with the current focus on further improving the Precursor product to simplify the final calcination stage.
Testwork is also ongoing into extracting high purity vanadium and titanium products from the Speewah vanadium deposit suitable as intermediate products for battery and master alloy applications.