Australian high-purity alumina (HPA) producer Alpha HPA has secured A$75 million (US$52 million) of National Reconstruction Fund Corporation backing as part of $225 million of equity funding for stage-two development of the world’s largest HPA plant at Gladstone in central Queensland.
Alpha HPA’s stage-one facility features the first commercial application of its proprietary solvent extraction and refining technology.
HPA is used in computer semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and lithium-ion batteries. Alpha HPA says thermal packaging is becoming more vital in computer chips as they scale towards kilowatt-class. “Materials innovation offers a cost-effective way to improve heat flow without redesigning entire systems, making HPA a key enabler for next-generation computing,” it says.
“Alpha HPA’s proprietary processing uses nitric acid to leach high-grade aluminium hydroxide followed by ion exchange and solvent extraction – or Smart SX – to recover and separate aluminium nitrate at very high purities for conversion into an intermediate precursor product and finally HPA. Smart SX refines HPA at lower temperatures than conventional processes, making it significantly less energy intensive.”
Australia’s federal government-backed Northen Australia Infrastructure Facility and Export Finance Australia provided a $320 million debt facility as part of circa-$590 million of earlier stage-two financing secured by Alpha HPA, which is aiming to produce 10,000 tonnes of HPA-equivalent per year.
Alpha HPA shareholder Orica produces nitric acid, ammonium nitrate and sodium cyanide at Yarwun, near Gladstone. The former says the adjacency of its HPA facility and the Orica complex enables a “closed-loop recycling arrangement in which Alpha HPA utilises reagents supplied by Orica and returns by-products for reuse”.
“Combined with the lower energy and temperature requirements of Alpha HPA’s proprietary processing technology this integrated approach delivers a significantly lower-waste, lower-emissions product than conventional HPA production methods,” Alpha HPA says.
Managing director Rob Williamson said NRFC’s investment supported Alpha HPA’s efforts to build sovereign manufacturing capability in Australia.
“This investment supports Australia’s ability to move up the value chain, manufacturing high-value materials onshore rather than exporting raw inputs, while creating skilled jobs and long-term industrial capability in regional Queensland,” he said.
