“Deployment of the Alcore technology will consume excess bath, and reduce the need for fluorspar as a feedstock for aluminium fluoride production.” Dr Mark Cooksey, Managing Director and CEO at ABx Group

As the Managing Director and CEO of the organization, Dr Mark Cooksey joined in early 2020. He previously held process improvement and process development leadership positions with Rio Tinto, GE and CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Dr Cooksey has focused on process innovation throughout his 25-year career. He has extensive experience developing and commercializing new mineral industry processes, particularly in the aluminium value chain.

AlCircle: Could you share Alcore’s innovative journey of building the fluorine recovery reactor? What inspired the creation of this cutting-edge technology?

Dr Mark Cooksey: The inspiration came from recognising that fluorine is the most expensive component of aluminium fluoride, fluorine is typically high-cost in Australia because it has no domestic production of fluorspar, and that excess aluminium smelter bath is possibly a viable source of fluorine.

The next steps we took were to develop a conceivable process route for recovering fluorine from the bath and constructing facilities where the process could be safely developed. We have demonstrated the technique at a laboratory scale and are currently finalising the design of our pilot-scale reactor

AlCircle: With this technology's successful development and deployment, how will it support the aluminium industry? Which raw materials for aluminium production will profoundly impact following the commercial deployment of this reactor?

Dr Mark Cooksey: This technology addresses two challenges facing the aluminium industry. Firstly, the fluorspar cost is increasing, suggesting that aluminium fluoride prices may increase over the long term. Secondly, smelters are finding it increasingly challenging to sell excess bath because the number of new smelters under construction needs to be increased to consume the entire excess bath produced by existing smelters. Deployment of the Alcore technology will consume excess bath and reduce the need for fluorspar as a feedstock for aluminium fluoride production. This further strategic advantage in Australia, where Alcore will provide the first domestic production of aluminium fluoride.

AlCircle: Please detail more on the collaboration between Alcore and BFluor Chemicals.

Dr Mark Cooksey: BFluor Chemicals is an originally South African consulting service and fluorochemical equipment manufacturing company, with extensive experience in technology implementation across the entire global fluorochemical value chain, from process conceptualisation to full-scale plant commissioning. They are an ideal partner for Alcore because they are accustomed to partnering for process development and have a combination of practical and theoretical understanding of fluorine processes. Alcore and BFluor engineers collaborate to design the pilot scale reactor to recover fluorine from the excess bath.

AlCircle: What is the update on ABx Group’s Tasmanian rare earth project?

Dr Mark Cooksey: ABx Group made the first discoveries of ionic adsorption clay-hosted rare earth element (IAC REE) mineralisation in Tasmania. ABx has identified four REE discoveries distributed over 52km of northern Tasmania and is currently developing its maiden resource estimate at its Deep Leads discovery.

The composition of the target mineralisation is relatively rich in the four main permanent magnet REE, namely Nd, Pr, Tb and Dy, and very low in radioactive elements U and Th. Typical mineralisation grades are 500 to 2,000ppm TREO-CeO2 (total rare earth oxides minus cerium oxide).

IAC REE can achieve high extraction rates at low cost and are the most sought-after deposit. ABx Group has confirmed that Deep Leads possesses these true IAC REE and has achieved extraction rates of 50% to 75% of contained REE using the same low-cost leach processing techniques used in Chinese IAC REE projects.

ABx is continuing its drilling campaigns to expand resources in the mineralised corridors.

AlCircle: How are the ABx Group's bauxite projects progressing?

Dr Mark Cooksey: In Queensland, ABx has lodged a Mining Lease Application and plans to export products in Q3, 2023. The Sunrise Bauxite Project has a JORC-compliant resource of 37 million tonnes.

Our joint venture partner, Alumin, is an Australian special-purpose vehicle company associated with our strategic marketing partner, Rawmin India, with extensive experience in funding long-term sustainable investments in projects involving mining and bulk-shipping metallurgical grade bauxite to end users around the world.

In Tasmania, ABx selected DL130, west of Launceston, as the preferred location for the next bauxite mining operation. ABx plans to recommence bauxite mining in Tasmania in Q3 2023. The primary products are likely to be cement-grade and fertiliser-grade bauxite.