The Opportunity

Our partners will design, build, operates and maintain an Aluminium Powder Plant and a Pyrometallurgical Processing Plant. The Company has engaged with high caliber engineering and experienced team to design and commission the project.

Technical appraisal work to be part of done and shall design build operates & maintain aluminium powder plant and a pyrometallurgical processing plant. The scope of works for the assessment have allowed for this type of design, build and operate assessments is required to ensure the scope of the project.

The Aluminium Powder Processing Plant can process various forms of aluminium feed material such as aluminium cans, aluminium extrusions, radiators, aluminium heat sinks, etc. The process involves melting, atomising and classifying aluminium powder into various size fractions for sale. The market for this product is extensive however it is also intended to supply aluminium powder to the Cobalt Processing Plant.

Pyrometallic Metals

The Pyrometallurgical Processing Plant will produce high purity metal via an aluminothermic process in which concentrates or hydroxide form is converted to metal. This process is ideal for locations with limited infrastructure such as grid power or unreliable supply of power. This method of producing high purity cobalt metal is simple and robust when compared to current traditional processes in Zambia and the Demographic Republic Congo (DRC). The process involves the blending of appropriately sized aluminium powder in a predetermined stoichiometric addition with the hydroxide feed material. This is then charged into a crucible and ignited. The highly exothermic reaction reduces the cobalt to a molten metal and separates via gravity from the slag. When cooled the metal separates easily from the slag to produce a cobalt metal bullet. It should be noted that this process is not limited to processing cobalt oxides/hydroxides and can be applied to other valuable metals such as the production of ferrovanadium (FeV80). This proposal not only provides the cost to purchase processing plants (aluminium powder & cobalt) but also describes the approach that is recommended with key deliverables and anticipated schedule.