MONTREAL, QUEBEC–(Marketwired – Dec. 14, 2016) – Orbite Technologies Inc. (TSX:ORT)(OTCQX:EORBF) (“Orbite”, or the “Company”) today announced that, further to its press release of November 24, 2016, production activities continue to progress positively at its high purity alumina (“HPA”) plant.
- Feedstock digestion continues to operate automatically and smoothly, and digestion liquors continue to be transferred to the crystallisation circuit for the production of aluminum chloride hexahydrate (“ACH”) crystals, the precursor to HPA.
- In preparation for the calcination of the produced ACH into HPA, the Company produced approximately 2 tonnes of amorphous HPA to constitute the initial ‘bed’ in the fluidized bed decomposer and calciner. This HPA was produced using the Company’s legacy low-capacity Harper decomposer.
- The Outotec decomposer is at operating temperature (approximately 700°C) and the Company has commenced introducing the bed material into the new calcination system.
- Once the bed is in place and stabilized, which the Company anticipates to take approximately 3-4 days, the Company will follow with the injection of ACH crystals into the calciner system for its calcination into HPA. The Harper system will then be taken offline and used in the future for specialty purposes only.
“While producing the material required for the initial fluidized bed using the Harper calcinator has taken some time due to the low capacity nature of the equipment, we have encountered no material issues with our process, and are excited about commencing this last step in our production sequence,’ stated Glenn Kelly, CEO of Orbite. “Once up and running within production parameters, decomposition and calcination is much more rapid with the Outotec system than with the Harper equipment. We therefore are confident of producing consistent quality 5N+ HPA before long. This will enable us to engage with our prospective customers with HPA from the plant and work towards converting our pipeline into contracts in the near future.”
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 45 patents and 71 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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Scott Anderson, External Media Relations Consultant
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