Tech Metals: Altech proves up its green credentials

Altech Chemicals (ASX:ATC) has completed a detailed study highlighting that its proprietary kaolin-alumina high purity alumina (HPA) production process will release 46 per cent less greenhouse gas compared to the current industry standard alkoxide process.

Its decision to undertake the detailed “mine to gate” study comes after the company received multiple requests from potential institutional investors and investment banks, especially in Europe, to demonstrate the green credentials of its process.

The company’s single step process will have a comparative carbon footprint of 6.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per tonne of HPA compared to 12.3 tonnes for the conventional bauxite – refinery – smelter – alkoxide HPA process.

Altech said that alkoxide process cannot use smelter-grade alumina to produce HPA due to sodium impurities.

This forces current HPA producers to source high-grade aluminium metal, which requires significant amounts of energy, along with high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, to produce.

Meanwhile, BMG Resources (ASX:BMG) is actively evaluating additional investment opportunities, with the company telling Stockhead it is open to diversifying its portfolio with other battery metal opportunities.

The company is also prioritising evaluation of the Pajonales and Natalie joint venture areas with local partner Lithium Chile after maiden drilling at the Salar West claims in Chile hit brines with lower than expected lithium in the area identified by its geophysical program.

Initial sampling of the two areas is now underway.

Pajonales and Natalie are located to the south and the east of the Atacama Salar and are conventional targets with brine either beneath the surface or under surrounding gravels and volcanic units around the margins of these salars (salt lakes).

The company is also looking to extend the initial 12-month milestone date for its earn-in with Lithium Chile given the unforeseen delays which have affected the work program.

In other ASX tech metal news today:

Lake Resources (ASX:LKE) has increased its share purchase plan by $1m to $2.5m due to shareholder demand.

The company received a significant uptick last week after Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which includes investors such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, dropped $US20m into its partner Lilac Solutions.

The two companies are working on a tech to extract lithium while allowing the lithium-less brine to be sent back underground, removing the need for large evaporation ponds.