Latrobe Magnesium has started scaled production from its Hazelwood North demonstration plant in Victoria, extracting magnesium oxide from brown coal fly ash.
The plant had faced short-term delays in receiving the ash due to storm conditions in the region, but took delivery of more than 200 tonnes of ash over the past two weeks. That provided sufficient stock for start-up and continuing operations.
The company’s mining partner continues to screen and stockpile ash for transport, with deliveries ongoing. These shipments are taking place in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency conditions and waste tracking procedures.
The demonstration plant production levels are now ramping up, with plans to reach a steady-state output level of 1000 tonnes per annum. The successful magnesium output is being stockpiled in preparation for a first delivery shipment to the project’s offtake partners.
Latrobe Magnesium chief executive officer David Paterson said the demonstration plant has also successfully produced a number of useful by-products from its patented process, including char, silica, iron oxide and agricultural lime.
“Latrobe will now commence validation trials with multiple interested parties to progress long-term offtake agreements for these products for both the demonstration plant and a future commercial plant,” he said.
The demonstration plant began operations in May. It is based on a patented process that not only reduces the operating cost of traditional magnesium and cement production methods, but simultaneously reduces carbon emissions by as much as 60 per cent.
Paterson said the graduation to larger-scale production represents a vital step toward full commercialisation.
“This milestone validates the core proprietary components of the company’s patented magnesium metal production process and further de-risks operations, representing another significant step forward,” he said.
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