Andromeda Metals Ltd (ASX:ADN) has started a bulk sample drilling program at its Great White Kaolin Project on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.
Drilling at the Great White deposit, a joint venture between ADN (75%) and Minotaur Exploration Ltd (ASX:MEP) (25%), will provide material for multiple projects aimed at developing new markets.
This will be in addition to the current Definitive Feasibility Study’s (DFS) Great White CRM™ (for ceramics) and Great White PRM™ (coatings) products.
Further to this, a large sample will be extracted from the high purity halloysite area to provide material for JV partner Natural Nanotech’s prototype carbon capture and conversion plant.
The South Australia-based, industrial minerals company has taken the next step toward becoming a leading supplier of high-grade halloysite-kaolin composite with the upgrade and rearrangement of the Streaky Bay kaolin refining plant – a replication of the proposed Great White wet processing plant – which meets all requirements for the ongoing DFS.
Material for new markets
Andromeda is installing a large pilot-scale processing centrifuge at the Streaky Bay pilot plant which will be used to upgrade halloysite purity.
So far, ADN has produced a large amount of ultrabright, high-purity Great White PRM™ product over 90% ISO powdered brightness at its Streaky Bay plant, intended for delivery to offtake partners.
The pilot plant has also been upgraded to replicate the proposed wet processing production plant flow sheet with new screening and hydro-cyclones, to achieve the Great White PRM™ product in line with product specifications for the MSI Binding Offtake Agreement.
Under the agreement, major Chinese commodity trading house Jiangsu Mineral Sources International Trading Co Ltd will take about 70,000 tonnes of refined, ultra-bright high purity kaolin from the Great White Kaolin Project every year for the next five years.
These upgrades have finalised the testing required for ADN’s Definitive Feasibility Study and 70 kilograms of ultrabright, high purity product of greater than 90% powdered brightness has been produced as marketing samples for delivery to ADN’s offtake partners.
The drilling will provide about 1.5 tonnes of high purity halloysite kaolin to ADN and MEP’s 50:50 JV Company, Natural Nanotech Ltd. The company is undertaking research and development into new technology applications of halloysite nanotubes in partnership with the University of Newcastle’s Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials (GICAN).
Partnership produces carbon capture technology
Great White halloysite-kaolin has been successfully synthesised by GICAN to create advanced nanomaterial specifically designed to absorb CO2 from a mixture of gases, up to 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of material has already been achieved, with work ongoing to target the capture of 2 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of material.
Great White halloysite nanotubes (HNT) have been shown to have remarkable selective absorptive and differentially chargeable properties and can be functionalised and/or engineered to create advanced nanomaterial frameworks for a range of new technology uses.
Kaolin from the 24 million tonnes Great White resource containing about 40% halloysite has been specifically functionalised to absorb CO2 at over 25 mmol/gm at O°C/30 bar. ADN anticipates that material currently being extracted will achieve a much higher halloysite purity and increase carbon capture ability significantly.
Possible cosmetic and concrete market ventures
The bulk sample holes used for the carbon capture pilot plant will also provide material for a large-scale cosmetic marketing exercise. Smaller samples have shown positive results in this potential market where high-purity halloysite-kaolin is highly valued and can sell for US$1,000-3,000 per tonne.
Approximately 40,000 tonnes per annum of potential business has been identified in the Chinese cosmetic market alone, with a large sample to be provided for approval testing.
In November 2020 Andromeda announced positive results from concrete and coatings application testing, prompting several concrete manufacturers to request large amounts of the Concrete Rheology Modifier (HRM™) to undertake commercial-scale trials.
Read: Andromeda Metals fields positive results from concrete and coatings application tests
HRM™ provides several handling and performance improvements to concrete with addition levels of only 1-2 kilograms per metre cubed of concrete. Significantly improving concrete rheology allows optimisation of mix design, leading to performance improvements and reductions in cost and carbon footprint.
The current drilling program will produce bulk samples to progress commercial trails with the intention of landing commercial supply agreements.
Development infrastructure upgrades
Andromeda Metals has committed to approximately $9 million of upgrades to local and access roads at the Great White development. The upgrades will bring the project’s roads up to Australian standards.
While this will result in a safer travel way suitable for heavy haulage vehicles, it will also improve safe travel along the section for all road users. Andromeda is planning to utilise waste calcrete rock from the mine to construct the road upgrade.