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OUR ADVANTAGE
AFC has the global exclusive rights to the CMN Process, which is patented solvent extraction technology developed in Australia. The CMN Process facilitates the production of high purity nickel sulphate from typical intermediate products more cheaply and safely than other processes.
The CMN Process uses magnesia or lime in the primary metals extraction phase rather than caustic soda or ammonia which are significantly more expensive and dangerous to handle at commercial scale. The CMN Process is also relatively simple. It does not involve any high pressure or high temperature operations nor toxic or flammable gases which are usually required in a processing plant like this. The result – not only are CMN plants cheaper to operate, they are safer and cost less to build.
Technology
The CMN Process is solvent extraction technology which, due to some key patented steps, facilitates the production of high purity end products. The CMN Process does not involve any complex process operations or toxic and/or flammable gases. These attributes together with the use of field proven, cheap, readily available and stable reagents results in a plant that is easier and simpler to operate with significant savings in operating and capital costs compared to alternative processes.
Solvent extraction component of the demonstration plant
Nickel sulphate crystals from the demonstration plant
Product
A key benefit of the patented purification steps in the CMN Process is that AFC can produce a nickel sulphate hexahydrate product to meet the most demanding of specification requirements. As a new business, AFC now has the opportunity to work with end users on an exclusive basis to produce a product to meet their specific requirements in terms of impurity levels, crystal size and packaging. AFC successfully completed 6 weeks of continuous running with a demonstration plant in 2018 and December 2021.
The following results confirm the high purity of AFC’s product and show an even higher level of purity was achieved since in the last major pilot run in 2018.
Typical Analysis
| Element | AFC 2018 | AFC 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni | W% | ≥ | 22.1 | 22.28 |
| Co | W% | ≤ | 0.0005 | 0.0003 |
| Cu | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Fe | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | 0.0002 |
| Na | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Zn | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Ca | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Mg | W% | ≤ | 0.0007 | 0.0002 |
| Mn | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Cd | W% | ≤ | 0.0005 | <0.0001 |
| Cr | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Pb | W% | ≤ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
Packaging
The nickel sulphate crystals will be packaged into double lined one tonne bags before loading into containers for shipment to customers.