MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC–(Marketwired – Sept. 21, 2016) – Orbite Technologies Inc. (TSX:ORT)(OTCQX:EORBF) (“Orbite”, or the “Company”) today provided an update on the start-up of its high purity alumina (“HPA”) plant. Activities continue to progress towards start of production in Q3.
- As previously reported, the initial heat up of the decomposer and calciner ovens commenced over the Labour Day long weekend. Ovens have since been running with all the required service and support systems. These systems – which include water cooling, exhaust gas cleaning and acid recovery, steam generation, distribution and injection, air and steam superheating, compressed air, and ventilation – have been running continuously for over two weeks and have met performance specifications and expectations.
- Using hot air only from the superheater system, the temperature in the ovens was increased slowly and to different levels to allow for oven and control system verifications.
- Refractory temperatures were then increased further using the internal electrical heating elements of the calcination system for additional heat input, and subsequently by the injection of superheated steam.
- Steam injection temperatures reached 750 °C, as planned, and internal oven temperatures reached 600 °C. The specialty steel, high temperature steam injection system, a critical component of the calcination system, performed flawlessly.
- The ovens are now being cooled for final preproduction inspection and preparation.
- Upon reheating of the ovens, the Company will inject and circulate Smelter Grade Alumina for a calibration run and then follow with Aluminum Chloride Hexahydrate (ACH) crystal decomposition and calcination to produce HPA.
- Commissioning of the digestion and crystallisation circuits is underway with both circuits to be started up in the coming week.
- Commissioning activities will then be materially complete and with more than 90% of the plant started-up. Essentially the entire production process will be operational. The only remaining minor sections of the plant to be started up will be product treatment (milling/pulverization for certain customer requirements only) and packaging.
- Accordingly, activities continue to progress towards the start of production with the digestion and crystallization of ACH for calcination, prior to the end of Q3, as planned.
“We continue to progress well towards commencement of production before the end of Q3,” stated Glenn Kelly, CEO of Orbite. “The production of ACH crystals, the precursor of HPA, will mark the official start-up of our plant. Subsequent to calcination of the ACH, we will be running extensive tests on the HPA produced to ensure production criteria are met. We are pleased with our progress and are looking forward to entering into commercial production.”
About Orbite
Orbite Technologies Inc. is a Canadian cleantech company whose innovative and proprietary processes are expected to produce alumina and other high-value products, such as rare earth and rare metal oxides, at one of the lowest costs in the industry, and in a sustainable fashion, using feedstocks that include aluminous clay, kaolin, nepheline, bauxite, red mud, fly ash as well as serpentine residues from chrysotile processing sites. Orbite is currently in the process of finalizing its first commercial high-purity alumina (HPA) production plant in Cap-Chat, Québec and has completed the basic engineering for a proposed smelter-grade alumina (SGA) production plant, which would use clay mined from its Grande-Vallée deposit. The Company’s portfolio contains 16 intellectual property families, including 37 patents and 91 pending patent applications in 11 different countries and regions. The first intellectual property family is patented in Canada, USA, Australia, China, Japan and Russia. The Company also operates a state of the art technology development center in Laval, Québec, where its technologies are developed and validated.
Forward-looking statements
Certain information contained in this document may include “forward-looking information”. Without limiting the foregoing, the information and any forward-looking information may include statements regarding projects, costs, objectives and future returns of the Company or hypotheses underlying these items. In this document, words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “likely”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate” and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or the Company management’s good-faith beliefs with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. These risks uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described in the section of the Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) entitled “Risk and Uncertainties” as filed on March 30, 2016 on SEDAR, including those under the headings “Recent increase in budgeted capital costs will require additional financing and may adversely impact our prospects”, “We will need to raise capital to continue our growth” and “Development Goals and Time Frames“.
The Company does not intend, nor does it undertake, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this document to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.
Marc Lakmaaker, External Investor Relations Consultant
416-848-1397
[email protected]
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Scott Anderson, External Media Relations Consultant
416-586-1954
[email protected]
