Impact Minerals

Breakthrough Alternative High Purity Alumina (HPA) Metallurgy Route Revealed at the Lake Hope Project, WA

A new proprietary metallurgical process has been identified for producing high-value High Purity Alumina (HPA) from the lake clays at Impact Minerals Limited’s (ASX:IPT) Lake Hope project, located 500 km east of Perth in Western Australia (Figure 1). Impact can earn an 80% interest in Playa One Pty Limited, which owns the Lake Hope project, by completing a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) on the project which is in progress (ASX Release March 21st 2023 and November 9th 2023).


  • 99.99% (4N) Al2O3 produced from a new low-temperature leach (LTL) and acid digestion process called the “LTL Process”:
  • The LTL Process is a simpler process that may lower the Capital and Operating Costs to produce HPA compared to the Sulphate Process, which has been the focus of test work to date.
  • The Sulphate Process underpinned the recent Scoping Study, which indicated an operating cost of <US$4,000 per tonne of HPA, up to 50% lower than Impact’s peers and an NPV8 of A$1.3 billion.
  • The LTL Process will now be included in the ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study in parallel with the Sulphate Process at marginal extra cost to determine the best processing route to HPA.
  • The PFS is due to be completed on schedule in late 2024.

Impact Minerals’ Managing Director, Dr Mike Jones, said,“Today we reveal a further exciting breakthrough for producing HPA from the unique mix of minerals that are present at Lake Hope, minerals which have allowed our new LTL Process to produce the benchmark 99.99% pure HPA very quickly after starting the test work.

The LTL Process is simpler than the Sulphate Process that underpinned our recent Scoping Study and showed that at less than US$4,000 per tonne, Lake Hope may produce HPA at up to 50% cheaper than our peers.

We think that further work on the LTL Process could result in even lower operating and capital costs, and this would only further enhance the already impressive economics of the project, which has an NPV8 of well over A$1 billion.

We have now started further optimization studies for the LTL Process and will push forward with our Pre- Feasibility Study using both process routes for the time being to determine the best strategic choice for processing at the project. Given we can run all these tests in parallel for little extra cost, we are still on course to finish the PFS later this year and continue to look forward towards producing HPA from Lake Hope”.

Figure 1. Location of the Lake Hope Project.

The new process, called the LTL Process, has produced High Purity Alumina (HPA) at 99.99% purity from the raw lake clay in only a few months of laboratory test work (with its attendant delays for holidays and other customer work) (Table 1). This is one of the fastest times to produce HPA from raw materials reported by ASX-listed companies and attests to the relatively straightforward nature of the process. It involves different reagents to those used in the Playa One Sulphate Process, which has also recently successfully produced 4N HPA (ASX Release 19th February 2024).

Table 1. Assays results for Lake Hope HPA via the LTL Process. Repeat samples derived from sample LHMET001 (see Table below for sample location). Assays units are parts per million (ppm).Note that the LTL Process has not been optimized and further reductions in contaminants are anticipated.

The LTL Process is a direct low-temperature leach (<90o C) that removes the requirement for sulphuric acid roasting, which was a key part of the Sulphate Process and reduces the number of steps to produce HPA from five stages to four (Figure 2). Accordingly, the new process could offer further reductions in operating costs and capital costs to produce HPA compared to the Playa One Sulphate Process.

The recently released Scoping Study on Lake Hope, which was based on the Sulphate Process, showed that at an operating cost of less than US$4,000 per tonne, Lake Hope could be the lowest-cost producer of HPA globally by a significant margin of up to 50% over Impact’s peers (ASX Release November 9th 2023). Therefore, this margin could be increased should test work on the new process support these initial results and further demonstrate the potential world-class economics of the Lake Hope project.


Click here for the full ASX Release

This article includes content from Impact Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.

IPT:AU
The Conversation (0)
1 ounce gold bullion bar on top of US$100 bill and Tax Form 1040.

US Capital Gains Tax Guide for Gold and Silver Investors

As gold and silver continue to prove their worth as sound investments, market participants should know how precious metals investments are taxed in the US.

While the majority of gold and silver investing comes with a certain degree of taxation, there are different levels of tax based on how market participants decide to invest in these precious metals, how long the investments are held for and the investors individual tax bracket.

Read on for a breakdown of the taxes associated with investing in gold and silver bullion, ETFs and stocks, as well as the forms involved with reporting precious metals investments.

Keep reading...Show less
Gold coin stacks with up arrow.

Gold Price Hits New Record, Breaking US$3,300 for First Time

The gold price reached yet another record high on Wednesday (April 16), breaking US$3,300 per ounce.

The precious metal has gained significant momentum since the beginning of the year. In trading on Wednesday it surged past the US$3,200 mark, climbing as high as US$3,354.10 per ounce. The price retreated below the US$3,300 mark on Thursday (April 17).

The rise comes after statements from US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell made at the Economic Club of Chicago on Wednesday. In his remarks, he said that he expects US President Donald Trump's tariff policy to negatively impact US economic growth and further fuel inflation.

Keep reading...Show less
Three gold bars on price chart with magnifying glass.

What Was the Highest Price for Gold?

Gold has long been considered a store of wealth, and the price of gold often makes its biggest gains during turbulent times as investors look for cover in this safe-haven asset.

The 21st century has so far been heavily marked by episodes of economic and sociopolitical upheaval. Uncertainty has pushed the precious metal to record highs as market participants seek its perceived security. And each time the gold price rises, there are calls for even higher record-breaking levels.

Gold market gurus from Lynette Zang to Chris Blasi to Jordan Roy-Byrne have shared eye-popping predictions on the gold price that would intrigue any investor — gold bug or not.

Keep reading...Show less
Maritime Drills 5.5 gpt Gold over 29.8 metres, Including 73.0 gpt Gold over 1.5 metres at the Hammerdown Gold Project

Maritime Drills 5.5 gpt Gold over 29.8 metres, Including 73.0 gpt Gold over 1.5 metres at the Hammerdown Gold Project

Maritime Resources Corp. (TSXV: MAE) (OTC Pink: MRTMF) ("Maritime" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional drill results from a grade control drill program at the Hammerdown Gold Project. Hammerdown is located in the Baie Verte mining district of Newfoundland and Labrador, near the towns of King's Point and Springdale.

Highlights:

Keep reading...Show less
Advancing Monument Gold Project - Exploration Update

Advancing Monument Gold Project - Exploration Update

Verity Resources Limited (ASX:VRL) (Verity or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities and strategy at its 100%-owned Monument Gold Project, located in the prolific Laverton gold district of Western Australia. The Company is advancing a pipeline of highly prospective gold targets across the Monument Project as part of its strategy to define a larger, higher-confidence gold resource base in one of Australia’s most active gold belts. The Monument Gold Project comprises 195km2 of highly prospective greenstone, along strike of Genesis Minerals (GMD:ASX) 3.3Moz Laverton Gold Project

Keep reading...Show less
B2Gold First Quarter 2025 Financial Results - Conference Call Details

B2Gold First Quarter 2025 Financial Results - Conference Call Details

B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO, NYSE AMERICAN: BTG, NSX: B2G) ("B2Gold" or the "Company") will release its first quarter 2025 financial results after the North American markets close on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

B2Gold executives will host a conference call to discuss the results on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 8:00 am PT / 11:00 am ET.

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less

Latest Press Releases

Related News

×