VRX Silica secure $2 million for high purity production
VRX Silica has secured a $2 million grant from the West Australian Government’s Investment Attraction Fund to develop a high-purity quartz sand manufacturing process and produce high-quality, high-priced silica sand products from projects across the state.
The key objective is now laid and funded to commercialise the process for creating a product reaching 99.999 per cent silicon dioxide, leading to the longer-term goal of establishing a full-scale manufacturing plant producing a high-purity version of a widely used and diminishing commodity.
VRX Managing Director Bruce Maluish said the project culminated all the metallurgical testwork the company had conducted over the past few years.
“The Company has developed a thorough understanding of the characteristics of each of its deposits and how those projects can produce silica products that are most in demand. This is another opportunity to supply products into a niche market and add further value to our silica sand projects,” Mr Maluish said.
While the demand for such high purity may be niche, the greater need for silica is undoubtedly not, being the most widely used commodity on earth after air and water. While the goal is to achieve the highest purity possible, it would still allow for a wide range of products to meet the demands of several industries.
High-purity quartz products can sell for up to US$9500/tonne, and the plan is now to determine the key elements which would lead to a commercialised manufacturing process.
First up is completing a pre-feasibility study to determine the grade and method which could be manufactured from existing feedstocks and production of a pilot plant, and recent pilot work on a 2.2-tonne bulk sample from the Muchea project has already indicated that a portion of the project or may meet the required specification.
VRX projects
VRX hold silica projects ranging across the state and is connected in close range to shipping ports. Arrowsmith North and Central sit near Geraldton, Muchea rests just 50 kilometres north of Perth, while Boyatup lies 125 kilometres east across the sealed roads connecting it to Esperance.
Arrowsmith North stands as the most advanced, and mining and processing operations and production is expected to commence at Arrowsmith North as soon as this year, pending the final environmental approvals and is projected to operate with robust operating margins as silica demand surges.
VRX project locations
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VRXSILICA FPO [VRX]