Clean TeQ Holdings Limited Signs Contract to Supply Scandium Recovery Pilot Plant
Melbourne, April 30, 2014 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Mr Cory Williams, CEO of Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (
ASX:CLQ), is pleased to announce the signing of a contract in Japan to supply a pilot plant to Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha Ltd (ISK) (TYO:4028) for the recovery of scandium and other valuable metals at ISK's Yokkaichi titanium dioxide facility in Japan.
The plant will utilise Clean TeQ's unique and proprietary Clean-iX(R) technology platform, which is anticipated to provide significant cost improvements and environmental benefits over existing processing routes that rely heavily on solvent extraction.
As the world leader in continuous ion exchange technologies with application to water treatment and resource recovery opportunities, Clean TeQ has been working with ISK for over 24 months under a technology partnership to develop a robust, scalable and environmentally sustainable extraction process.
The pilot plant has been designed to remove trace elements of scandium contained in intermediate process streams used to convert titanium dioxide (TiO2) into paints and pigments. Scandium is an extremely rare metal used in high strength aluminium alloy applications in the aerospace and automotive industries and as an electrolyte in the rapidly burgeoning solid oxide fuel cell market. Scandium is produced as a by-product of mining operations in China, Russia and Ukraine.
The Clean-iX(R) pilot plant will be built in Australia and shipped to Japan in August with a three month operational campaign to commence soon thereafter. Should piloting prove successful Clean TeQ expects consideration of options by ISK for the installation of a commercial-scale plant.
Clean TeQ CEO Mr Cory Williams, commented: "The recovery of scandium is just one of a number of potential Clean TeQ commercial applications with our goal to have similar projects around the world for the recovery of nickel, copper, and other elements. The pilot plant with ISK is a key step to allow us to be in a position to share in ongoing revenues from the sale of valuable metals from our technology. Our vision at Clean TeQ is to develop technologies that help industry maximise value from raw materials, eliminate waste and protect our environment."
The Clean-iX(R) pilot plant is a modular, fully automated system that is a scaled version of a full scale plant. Data from the plant will confirm the production cost of scandium oxide and allow for multiple process steams to be trialed. Following piloting Clean TeQ and ISK will review options for full scale development at Yokkaichi and other titanium dioxide process plants in Japan. ISK has produced and refined titanium dioxide for various industrial purposes since 1963.
About Clean TeQ Holdings Limited
Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (ASX:CLQ) is a world leader in water treatment and resource recovery technology and the Australian leader in biological air purification. Clean TeQ develops technologies in-house and partners with leading technology suppliers worldwide.
The Company offers a range of business models to potential clients including licensing our technology, building and commissioning complete installations (both transportable and fixed), and building and operating installations in joint ventures, in return for a share of revenues generated through resources recovered. Clean TeQ will also acquire mining assets where its technologies can make exploitation of uneconomic ore bodies or re-processing of tailings profitable.
For more information about Clean TeQ please visit the Company's website
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