TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – TSX-listed Orbite Aluminae, which is currently converting its high-purity alumina (HPA) production plant, at Cap-Chat, in Quebec, into a full-scale, 1 t/d facility, has confirmed that the Europe-sourced components of the new castable material for the plant’s refractory system have arrived in the Port of Montreal.

The company had also previously received the new mortar formulation, as planned.

Orbite CEO Glenn Kelly advised on Wednesday that with the arrival of the materials, the company was on track to start refractory system installation at the end of March, in line with the previously announced revised schedule.

"This installation is a key step towards the completion of our plant and we are looking forward to updating stakeholders on our progress," he added.

Orbite said late last year that quality-control testing by the company's technology development centre (TDC) had found product nonconformities with some of the refractory materials supplied by Outotec, of Germany, which could have led to mechanical integrity problems during operations. Specifically, the nonconformities were found in the mortar and the castables supplied.

Orbite then identified and tested replacement materials that could be used to replace the brick and mortar inner lining of the decomposer and calcinator (castable monolith), with no unfavourable impact on product quality.

The company reported on December 4, that following extensive testing of refractory materials at the company's TDC, the brick-and-mortar refractory approach was selected, instead of a castable monolith for the inner lining of its decomposer and calcinator.

The initially supplied nonconforming mortar was to be replaced with a new mortar formulation, sourced from Outotec. The nonconforming castable material was not replaced by an Outotec product, but by the alternative proprietary material, sourced from a third-party supplier, and tested and approved by Orbite's TDC.

Some of the components of this new castable were sourced from a European manufacturer. Owing to supply delays, the company was only able to start the installation of the refractory system next month, resulting in commercial production at the HPA facility being deferred from the second to third quarter.