Acid/metal separation and recovery process

The project will establish a pilot plant using Australian BioRefining’s patented technology for the recovery and regeneration of acid used in nickel hydrometallurgy, and the concurrent recovery of metal values from the same process stream. The project will prove commercial feasibility, and will involve construction, deployment, operation and monitoring over three months, of a small pilot plant (pictured below) at an industrial site for the hydrometallurgical recovery of Nickel.

With Commercialisation Australia support, Australian BioRefining has engaged one of the world’s largest nickel laterite processors using an acid leach process. They are interested in the environmental benefits of the process, and how the current pilot process will benefit them.

Adam Blunn, CEO of Australian BioRefining commented about his company’s experience with Commercialisation Australia.  “Regarding the value of the program, often what grant applicants want is the cash.  In our case that was definitely true, but we also needed the mentoring, advice and business acumen of our Case Manager.  We just didn’t realise this until after we got the grant.  While some people see the grant process as onerous, I now see it as due diligence by an investor.

The discipline of preparing an application and the assistance and feedback from the Case Manager ensures we are better able to raise private capital later, and more importantly, in satisfying the Commercialisation Australia Board that we are worth investing in - we confirmed our belief and investment in our own project. The process made us look critically at whether we were committed to the project beyond an entrepreneur’s or inventor’s passion, and that we had something worth doing.”

[Picture courtesy of Australian BioRefining Pty Ltd]