Alkane Resources Develops Hafnium Dioxide Products

Alkane Resources Ltd. (ASX:ALK) subsidiary Strategic Materials Ltd. (ASM) has successfully developed a high‐purity hafnium dioxide product that will be directly marketable as a feed material for a number of downstream applications and for producing metallic hafnium.
Highlights are as follows:

• Alkane’s wholly owned subsidiary, Australian Strategic Materials Ltd (ASM), has developed high‐purity hafnium dioxide products tailored to meet market requirements
• Hafnium oxide exceeding 99.8% HfO2, and 99.9% (Hf+Zr)O2, has been produced using a proprietary process to separate hafnium from zirconium at the demonstration pilot plant at ANSTO.
• Over the past 12 months, ASM has consulted extensively with industry to confirm growing market demand for high‐purity hafnium, which currently depends on supply from the production of zirconium metal for specialty alloys and the nuclear industry.
• Global shortage of hafnium anticipated as demand is poised to outstrip current supply.
• Hafnium metal for super alloys is currently trading in a US$800 ‐ $900/kg range.  The ASM business case assumes a conservative product price of US$500/kg for its oxide.
• ASM will initially produce 25tpa hafnium to meet projected market demand, ramping up to higher quantities as required.

Click here to read the full Alkane Resources Ltd. (ASX:ALK) press release.