Pinnacle Minerals’ Bobalong kaolin is a yes for industrial use

Pinnacle has received a boost of confidence after receiving independent verification that kaolin from its Bobalong project is suitable for industrial uses by Chinese processors.

This is particularly significant as it provides assurance to the company that its product is of sufficient quality to be considered by potential customers.

Bulk sample testing by the Wuhan University of Technology (WHUT), one of China’s pre-eminent kaolin specialist centres, successfully qualified Bobalong kaolin for two major processors operating in the ceramics market, in southern China.

Pinnacle Minerals (ASX:PIM) noted that the washed and graded kaolin from the project had a whiteness of more than 85% (up from an average of 81.47% in ore samples) and a fine particle size which is also layered and flaky, indicating its amenability to reducing particle size.

While a whiteness of 80% is acceptable for most kaolin standards, it is also acknowledged that the whiter the product, the greater the commercial use and the higher in value it is.

The same is also true for the particle size with finer kaolin being of greater value.

“This is an excellent result, with the test-work indicating the Bobalong kaolin’s suitability to be beneficiated to produce a kaolin product of high whiteness, and its flaky nature is indicative of the potential for a fine kaolinite product,” executive director Robert Hodby said.

“We are now working to confirm final drill results and a maiden JORC Mineral Resource as a key next step at the Bobalong Project.”

Next steps

Pinnacle is currently waiting on the final round of results from resource definition auger drilling before moving to calculate a maiden resource for the project.

This will enable the company to advance offtake and supply discussions with qualified kaolin processors in southern China.

A study is also underway on the potential to carry out calcination on Bobalong kaolin.

This involves heating kaolin to high temperatures in a largely oxygen-free environment to remove impurities and convert the material into metakaolin – a higher-value product which could replace up to 20% of cement used in concrete.

Doing so has the potential to deliver stronger and lighter concrete, significantly reducing the current carbon intensity of concrete production.

The company has also commissioned an aeromagnetic and radiometric survey to be flown over its Bobalong and Holly projects in September.

Data from this survey will be used to identify all types of granite, and the location of dolerite dykes, faults and pegmatites as well as delineating bedrock and regolith that could potentially contain rare earths and other minerals.

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This article was developed in collaboration with Pinnacle Minerals (ASX:PIM), a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.