Orbite selected for $4.5M grant from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)

Orbite Aluminae Inc. is pleased to announce today that it has been selected to receive up to $4.5M in non-dilutive funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) to be applied towards Orbite's technology development, demonstration and commercialization related to the processing of red mud.

Red mud is the waste product generated by the Bayer process, the industrial process used for refining bauxite to obtain alumina, the raw material for the electrolytic production of aluminium. A typical bauxite refinery generates one to two times as much red mud as alumina. This waste usually is stockpiled in open-air tailings ponds, although in some cases it has been disposed of in the ocean. Red mud represents a long-term environmental and financial liability for the entire alumina industry. The Orbite process is able to utilize red mud as a feedstock, extracting all of the valuable constituents, including rare earths and rare metals, alumina, magnesium oxide and titanium dioxide, while only returning a small fraction of inert material. In this way, the Orbite process not only contributes to the remediation of an environmental problem, but turns a liability into an asset.

In addition to red mud, Orbite's waste monetization technology is applicable to other significant industrial waste sources, such as fly ash from coal-fired power plants, or serpentine tailings from asbestos mining.

"Our Government is positioning Canada as a global leader in the clean technology sector by supporting innovative projects, such as Orbite Aluminae's technology to remediate red mud and fly ash, aimed at growing our economy while contributing to a cleaner environment," said the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources. "By developing our resources responsibly, exploring next-generation transportation and advancing clean energy technology, the projects announced today will create jobs and improve innovation opportunities in Quebec and across Canada."

"We are pleased with the support and recognition from SDTC for this potentially groundbreaking application of our technology," stated Glenn Kelly , CEO of Orbite. "The funding will allow us to accelerate the development of our waste monetization initiative. With some three billion tonnes of red mud stored worldwide and an additional 120 million tons being produced annually, as well as well over 500 million tonnes of fly ash being produced annually, waste monetization represents a very significant commercial opportunity for Orbite that the Company is now gearing up for."

The funding is subject to satisfactory financial commitment by an industrial partner, fulfillment of project milestones, usual due diligence and other customary conditions. Orbite is presently in negotiations with Veolia and others on this.