Zeotech Metakaolin Media Release
Emerging mineral processing technology company, Zeotech Limited has updates on their metakaolin research and testing program at Central Queensland University, Australia. The program is delivering promising results, with the company releasing their latest findings recently.
Highlights
- Results confirm that a high reactivity metakaolin (HRM) can be produced from a range of the Company’s Toondoon kaolin profiles.
- Hight reactivity metakaolin produced exceeds Australian Standard & ASTM International Standard for a manufactured pozzolan.
- High kaolinite content of Toondoon’s raw ore, of between 80-90%, underpins a simple flowsheet and potential competitive advantage due to the limited beneficiation required to produce a high reactivity metakaolin.
- Metakaolin is in demand as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) that could advance low carbon cement and concrete by partially substituting clinker in Portland cement – this provides a considerably large market opportunity.
- Production and use of cement accounts for approximately 8% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.
- Use of SCM’s is the most viable alternative to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions of the cement and concrete industries in the short term, and metakaolin is increasingly regarded as the most promising pozzolanic material for the future.
- -Work is now underway on a test pit in Toondoon with the aim to stockpile roughly 50 tonnes of high-grade raw kaolin, to produce larger quantities of metakaolin.
Zeotech Chief Executive Officer, Scott Burkhart commented:
“The program with CQUniversity has delivered some very promising results that further highlight the superiority of the Company’s Toondoon kaolin and the potential to produce a high reactivity metakaolin product that could be used as a SCM to support production of low carbon cement and concrete.”
“The use of HRM as an SCM unlocks a considerable commercial opportunity for the Company and we will continue to advance discussions with industry and explore commercial pathways that could catalyse metakaolin production in Australia as an SCM for concrete and future zeolite manufacturing.”