“Alcore has developed a process to recover hydrogen fluoride from aluminium smelter bath, which is combined with aluminium hydroxide to produce aluminium fluoride”, Dr Mark Cooksey, CEO, ABx Group
In early 2020, Dr Mark Cooksey assumed the CEO role at ABx Group, leveraging his expertise and leadership. Prior to this, he held significant positions in process improvement and development at esteemed organizations like Rio Tinto, GE, and Australia's national science agency, CSIRO. Over his 25-year career, Dr Cooksey has remained dedicated to driving process innovation, showcasing his adeptness in advancing and bringing novel processes within the minerals sector to market. Notably, he has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the aluminium value chain.
AL Circle: Can you provide an overview of ABx Group's subsidiary Alcore and its areas of expertise?
Dr Mark Cooksey: Alcore has developed a new process for producing aluminium fluoride. Its core expertise is chemical engineering, particularly the invention of new processes and scale-up to commercial size.
AL Circle: How does ABx Group contribute to the economic growth and development of Australia?
Dr Mark Cooksey: In addition to the Alcore business, the other major ABx Group activity is the exploration of rare earths. Four rare earth elements are used to manufacture permanent magnets, essential for renewable technologies such as wind turbines and electric motors.
ABx Group aims to establish an aluminium fluoride refinery and a rare earth mine in Australia. This will create highly skilled employment, increase value-added production and increase Australia’s participation in the rare earth supply chain.
AL Circle: What is the aluminium fluoride situation in Australia? What is the Alcore process for producing aluminium fluoride?
Dr Mark Cooksey: Australia does not mine any fluorite or produce any fluorspar, hydrogen fluoride or aluminium fluoride, and so must import all its requirements. Australia is the largest producer of primary aluminium metal without domestic aluminium fluoride production, so Australian aluminium smelters rely entirely on imported aluminium fluoride.
Alcore has developed a process to recover hydrogen fluoride from aluminium smelter bath. This is combined with aluminium hydroxide to produce aluminium fluoride. Alcore is also investigating the use of dross (another aluminium smelter waste) and bauxite as alternatives to aluminium hydroxide as the source of aluminium. The use of dross or bauxite would further lower the production cost.
AL Circle: What are the benefits of the Alcore process for aluminium fluoride production?
Mark Cooksey: The benefits of the Alcore process for aluminium fluoride production are:
- Lower cost, as aluminium smelter bath, is lower cost than fluorspar
- Environmental, as it eliminates the risk of not having a market for excess aluminium smelter bath
- Security of supply for Australian aluminium smelters, as they will have a domestic supply of aluminium fluoride
AL Circle: What is Alcore's plan for the commercial production of aluminium fluoride? What stage of development is Alcore up to?
Dr Mark Cooksey: Alcore is about to construct a pilot plant to demonstrate the process.
Alcore intends to construct commercial hydrogen fluoride and aluminium fluoride plants in Bell Bay, Tasmania. The initial plant is proposed to transform 1,600 tonnes per year of aluminium smelter bath into hydrogen fluoride and other industrial chemicals. A proportion of the hydrogen fluoride will be further processed into aluminium fluoride. The relative amounts of hydrogen fluoride and aluminium fluoride produced can be optimised to suit market demand. Alcore’s longer-term plan is to expand the plant by 15 times, which will process all of Australia’s aluminium smelter bath and supply more than 80% of Australia’s aluminium fluoride requirements.
AL Circle: How does ABx Group prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility in its operations?
Dr Mark Cooksey: Sustainability and environmental responsibility are priorities for Alcore. ABx selects projects that will have benefits to sustainability and the environment.
ABx has mined bauxite and also plans to mine rare earths. The ABx policies are only to operate where welcomed and leave the land in better condition than before we mined.
AL Circle: What are some future goals and aspirations of ABx Group regarding growth, expansion, or diversification?
Dr Mark Cooksey: The ABx Group's purpose is 'Delivering materials for a cleaner future'. Currently, ABx is focused on developing its Alcore and rare earth projects. In time, ABx may initiate other projects that fit within this strategy.
AL Circle: What is ABx Group's vision for the future and its role in shaping the aluminium industry landscape?
Dr Mark Cooksey: ABx Group believes that the Alcore process can make a significant contribution to the sustainability of the aluminium industry. It is a true circular process, where waste from the process is reprocessed into a feed material.
