MONTREAL, QUEBEC–(Marketwired – Oct. 3, 2016) – Orbite Technologies Inc. (TSX:ORT)(OTCQX:EORBF) (“Orbite”, or the “Company”) today announced that, further to its press release of September 30, 2016, production activities continue as planned at its high purity alumina (“HPA”) plant.
- The first batch of feedstock digestion commenced on September 30 and was followed by a second batch, as planned.
- The first batches of liquor, produced in the digestion circuit, were transferred to the crystallisation circuit for commencement of production of the first batch of aluminum chloride hexahydrate (“ACH”) crystals. ACH crystals are the precursor to high purity alumina (“HPA”).
- As disclosed, each full digestion and crystallisation batch cycle will initially take approximately 3.5 days to complete. Production will continue in batch mode in these two circuits while extensive testing will be carried out on digester liquors and ACH crystals, to ensure production and purity criteria are met.
- Once the ACH crystals meet purity criteria, they will be transferred to the decomposer and calciner circuit for HPA production. Once production and purity criteria are met in all three circuits, the plant will switch over to semi-continuous operation mode and commence ramp up to name plate capacity.
“First results for digestion are positive and crystallisation is also progressing well,” stated Glenn Kelly, CEO of Orbite. “We will continue batch production in both these circuits and anticipate production times to come down as we increase purity and quality. We will report on progression as we build up data from the various tests on our batch cycles.”
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
mlakmaaker@national.ca
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