Management says positive lab testing at its recent trials held in conjunction with Makassar State University (UNM) in Indonesia achieved a compressive strength of 37.5 megapascals (MPa) after just seven days.

The slag, which is commonly stockpiled or committed to landfill, was provided by PT Huadi Nickel-Alloy Indonesia (PT HNI) from its nickel pig iron operation in South Sulawesi.

PT Huadi Nickel-Alloy Indonesia (PT HNI) is one of Indonesia’s biggest nickel producers and stockpiles significant quantities of nickel slag.

A co-operation agreement has been entered into by the two parties for the purpose of considering a commercial arrangement such as a partnership venture or offtake agreement for the nickel slag, which importantly, comes with a zero-carbon footprint.

Suvo has conducted multiple tests and determined that the best waste products for the conversion process are those highest in alumina silicate, which includes nickel slag.

The company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Climate Tech Cement, will identify and characterise various industrial by-products from several big miners.

Suvo Strategic Minerals executive chairman Aaron banks said: “The funds from the placement enables the Company to further advance the opportunity with PT Huadi and progress the important second trials after successfully creating a geopolymer cement binder using a zero-carbon nickel slag. The Company hopes to formalise a commercial arrangement with PT Huadi in the near term.”

The company also has 100 per cent ownership of the Pittong Kaolin project near Ballarat in Victoria, the sole wet kaolin mine and processing facility in Australia, that has been operating since 1972. The project contains a mineral resource of 5.5 million tonnes of kaolin, providing potential for a multi-decade operation.

Suvo is planning to begin studies on a low-cost processing method to produce metakaolin, a highly-reactive form of kaolin with the potential to be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM).

SCM’s are commonly used as partial replacements, generally up to 40 per cent, for traditional Portland cement – the world’s most common form of cement product. Metakaolin can accelerate the setting time of concrete, aid in its early age strength and it is considered an eco-friendly building material.

According to reports from Allied Market Research, a U.S firm offering research across 10,000 niche markets for the past decade, the forecast for the global concrete market in 2030 is US$972 billion (AU$1.455 trillion), with current cement production of about four billion tonnes expected to grow to five billion in the next decade.

Suvo is looking to set up satellite cement plants alongside industrial waste streams from processed minerals that have the right mineralogy for the making of its green cement. The ultimate goal is to bag and ship cement around the world that is green in nature and cost competitive.

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