Kaolin

Kaolinite is an industrial mineral belonging to the group of aluminosilicates. The term kaolin is used to describe a group of relatively common clay minerals with an enhanced concentration of kaolinite and is produced by the chemical weathering of aluminium silicate minerals. It is a soft, earthy, usually white, mineral (dioctahedral phyllosilicate clay).

Kaolin’s commercial attributes primarily revolve around being chemically inert over a wide pH range, brightness, film strength, whiteness, opacity, gloss, viscosity, low heat and low electrical conductivity, which leads to a diversified range of industrial applications.

Direct Shipping Ore (DSO)

Zeotech’s approved mining lease  (ML 80126) hosts high-grade kaolin near surface, offering cost effective immediate access to direct shipping ore (DSO). Updated JORC Jan 2022, confirms an indicated/measured resource of more than 3.5 million tonne asaying 37.53% Al₂O₃, 0.40% Fe₂O₃ , wvhich remains open in all directions (circa 5% of the Project area being drilled), leaving potential for the resource to be significantly upgraded. The Toondoon project representing some of the highest-grade alumina, low iron raw ore kaolin in Australia.

The high alumina content will allow the ore to be highly suitable to a number of sectors including the white cement industry, refractories, and fibreglass manufacturing.

Metakaolin

Green Cement

Metakaolin has also shown increasing demand as a supplementary cementitious replacement for clinker, a key ingredient in cement production, due to its potential to materially reduce the carbon intensity of producing cement, resulting in green cement.

The cement and concrete industry represents circa 8% of global emissions and studies have shown metakaolin can enable the associated CO₂ emissions of producing concrete to be reduced by up to 40%.

The Australian cement and concrete industry has declared its commitment to net zero carbon concrete by 2050.