Altech awarded patent for kaolin to high purity alumina production process

Altech Chemicals Limited has received the Certificate of Grant for an Innovation Patent from the Australian Patent Office (IP Australia), for its process of producing high purity alumina (HPA) from kaolin (aluminous clay).

Altech Chemicals managing director Iggy Tan said, “The journey to patent grant was quite arduous. We commenced the process in 2014 and have now received the Certificate of Grant – 4 years later. The patent will help protect the Company’s unique HPA production process and the technology that we have developed.”

“Over the past 18 months it has been quite frustrating to read a number public announcements from other companies aiming to be HPA producers that have included HPA process flow diagrams that appeared to be blatant copies of Altech’s process – some even using the same unique icons developed by the Company. Now that this patent is granted, Altech is in strong position to defend its intellectual property rights with the assistance of WRAYS, our patent attorney.”

Altech said in its press release the patent titled ‘A Method for the Preparation of Alumina’ covers the production of alumina from all types aluminous clay including kaolin, using hydrochloric acid and includes the following steps: 1. treating kaolin or aluminous material to reduce particle size and increase the alumina content; 2. calcining the kaolin or aluminous material; 3. leaching the aluminous material with hydrochloric acid; 4. solid liquid separation to provide a pregnant liquor; 5. crystallising aluminium chloride hexahydrate by adding hydrogen chloride gas; 6. precipitating and separation of aluminium chloride hexahydrate; 7. dissolving the aluminium chloride hexahydrate in water and repeating the crystallisation process; and 8. roasting and calcining aluminium chloride hexahydrate to provide alumina.