ABx Group’s subsidiary, ALCORE, is progressing its pilot plant project adjacent to the Bell Bay aluminium smelter in Tasmania. The company has engaged BFluor Chemicals and Kempe Engineering to support the project. Regulatory processes are also advancing, with ALCORE receiving formal guidelines for an environmental effects report from EPA Tasmania. Key equipment, including an oleum plant and bath reactors, has been ordered and is expected to be delivered by the end of the year. The pilot plant will demonstrate ALCORE’s proprietary process to produce industrial chemicals, including hydrogen fluoride, from aluminum smelting waste.
The pilot plant, located at a leased facility adjacent to Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay smelter, aims to convert hydrogen fluoride into aluminum fluoride, an essential chemical for aluminum smelting that is currently 100% imported. Australia, despite being a major aluminum producer, lacks domestic aluminum fluoride production, relying heavily on imports, primarily from China. The project is supported by a $1 million loan from the Tasmanian Government and aims to establish Bell Bay as a key hub for ALCORE’s technology.
