Alpha HPA battery anode plant nears completion

Critical aluminium materials manufacturer Alpha HPA is nearing the completion of upgrades to its small-scale, commercial high purity alumina (HPA) production facility in Gladstone, Queensland.

Supported by a $15.5 million grant awarded under the federal government’s Critical Minerals Development Program, the upgrade will add a HPA circuit including an HPA tunnel kiln and five rotary kilns, jet mill room, rolls crusher and rooftop solar array.

“These circuits will allow Alpha to service product orders for a range of end users, including HPA sales for the South Korean semi-conductor sector, and the manufacture of sintered HPA tablets for sapphire glass growth.”

Sapphire glass is ultra-pure glass used in a range of optical devices and for the screens of mobile phones.

Alpha HPA has produced 2,000 tonnes of aluminium nitrate battery anode precursor to date and 200 tonnes at 5N or 99.99 percent purity Al-nitrate.

The company told investors that the HPA circuits were on track to be fully commissioned by the end of October, 2023 and would facilitate:

• Increased production of Al-nitrate and aluminium sulphate
• Production capacity of 15tpa of additional HPA production capacity
• Production of nano HPA to serve customers in the semiconductor sector
• Capacity to produce an extra 10tpa of high purity boehmite used in producing lithium-ion batteries
• Capacity to produce up to 25 tpa of high purity alumina-trihydrate
• and the production of HPA tablets for synthetic sapphire glass growth.

Alpha HPA said it was in the mature phases of project financing for a Stage 2 HPA project, in preparation for a final investment decision by the company.

Picture: Alpha HPA