MONTREAL, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbite
Aluminae (TSX: ORT; OTCQX: EORBF) (the "Company" or
"Orbite") today announced that, leveraging its patented
processes for high-purity and smelter-grade alumina production, the
Company has developed a purification technology to purify silica
based on its hydrochloric acid leaching process.
This development allows the Company to purify silica to the 99.9%
(3N) level and provides a conceptual base to eventually reach
purities of 99.999% (5N) to 99.99999% (7N).
"We are very proud of this technological development,"
stated Denis Primeau, the Company's
Chief Engineer. "Utilizing Orbite's existing
processes, we can now take a product that was already at acceptable
levels of purity – 96% – up to levels of 3N and greater, making it
a value added product."
Worldwide, metallurgical grade silica consumption was 1.37
billion metric tonnes in 2009 and 2.02 billion metric tonnes in
2010. Metallurgical grade silica of greater than
99.99% purity is used to manufacture photovoltaic cells and other
high-technology products. In 2009, metallurgical
grade silica was selling for approximately $3 per kilogram and higher quality silica (5N-7N)
was selling for approximately $35 per
kilogram.
Mr. Richard Boudreault,
President and CEO of Orbite, added, "This is an important
breakthrough, particularly considering that silica will be a
by-product of our SGA and HPA plants and could provide
a higher commercial value than we had
anticipated. Our PEA assumption was for
low-grade silica sold at a $25 per
tonne."
Silica is present in virtually all the raw materials used
within the Orbite process, and it provides an additional source of
potential revenue for the Company. Since the
process is well-suited to purify silica – and given the high
proportion of silica in Orbite's Grande-Valle clay deposit – Orbite
may become a significant producer of purified silica for mass
production applications (e.g., cement, optical glass, etc.) as well
as for specialty products, photovoltaic applications,
electro-optics, and other industries.
Orbite's high-purity alumina (HPA) plant, on track to be
completed by the end of 2012, is expected to produce silica of
greater than 99.9% purity. The Company's
smelter-grade alumina (SGA) plant, projected to begin its first
phase of operations in 2014, will have the potential to produce up
to 1.2 million tonnes of silica ranging from 95% to more than 99.9%
at maximum capacity.
INDEPENDENT EVALUATION
Orbite's silica purification technology was developed
in-house. The projected recovery rate of silica
within Orbite's global process is now 99.97% and with known methods
could reach 5N to 7N levels. The chemical
analyses were obtained by an independent laboratory (AGAT
Laboratories) while the physical characteristics were evaluated by
the independent group Tekna.
The technical content in this press release has been
reviewed and approved by Denis Primeau, Eng., a "qualified person"
pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure of
Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). Mr. Primeau is the Chief Engineer of
Orbite, and as such, is not independent pursuant to NI
43-101.
About Orbite
Orbite Aluminae Inc. is a Canadian cleantech
company whose innovative technologies are setting the new standard
for alumina production. Orbite technologies enable
environmentally-neutral extraction of smelter-grade alumina (SGA),
high-purity alumina (HPA) and high-value elements, including rare
earths and rare metals, from a variety of sources such as
aluminous clay and bauxite, without generating the toxic red
mud residue that the traditional Bayer process produces. The
Company owns eleven different families of intellectual property
rights (and patents pending) filed across the world for the
extraction of alumina at the highest standards of sustainability.
Orbite also owns exclusive mining rights over a total of 60,984
hectares, including the 6,665-hectare Grande-Valle property, the
site of an aluminous clay deposit in Quebec, Canada. An NI
43-101 compliant report identified over 1 billion tonnes of
aluminous clay in part of this deposit. Orbite is currently
converting its 2,600 m2 pilot plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec, Canada, into a full-scale
high-purity alumina production facility, and expects this plant to
be fully operational in early 2013. The Company also anticipates
the launch of construction of its first SGA plant towards the end
of 2013. Orbite plans to offer SGA and HPA products and to license
its low processing cost technologies to well-qualified producers
who want to reduce their environmental footprint. Orbite has
recently entered into partnerships with the world's largest
aluminum producer, UC Rusal.
Forward-looking statements
Certain information contained in this
document may include "forward-looking information". Without
limiting the foregoing, the information and any forward-looking
information may include statements regarding projects, costs,
objectives and future returns of the Company or hypotheses
underlying these items. In this document, words such as "may",
"would", "could", "will", "likely", "believe", "expect",
"anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate" and similar words and
the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as
guarantees of future performance or results, and will not
necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or
by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking
statements and information are based on information available at
the time and/or the Company management's good-faith beliefs with
respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks,
uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of
which are beyond the Company's control. These risks uncertainties
and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described in
the section of the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)
entitled "Risk and Uncertainties" as filed on March 22, 2012 on SEDAR, and could cause actual
events or results to differ materially from those projected in any
forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, nor does
it undertake, any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking information or statements contained in this
document to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances
or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.
SOURCE Orbite Aluminae
