Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) has announced the acquisition of a 50% stake in Alluminous, a privately held company, for $2.2 million. This move is part of Impact’s strategic initiative to become a prominent high-purity alumina (HPA) producer. Alluminous recently acquired HiPurA, the owner of a HPA processing technology previously developed by ChemX Materials. The remaining ownership of Alluminous is split between HiPurA’s original founders and North American venture capital investors.
Impact anticipates that this ownership structure will bolster the HiPurA process development, leveraging the original developers’ expertise and potentially opening doors to North American capital markets. Alluminous’ immediate focus will be demonstrating the technology at a pilot plant scale, with plans for commercial-scale production in North America and a potential listing on a North American securities exchange within the next one to two years. According to Impact Managing Director Dr. Mike Jones, the HiPurA technology offers a robust and scalable production model, potentially accelerating commercialization by as much as two years, representing a significant cost saving.
Furthermore, Impact intends to explore integrating the HiPurA technology with its Lake Hope Project in Western Australia, potentially using the same micro-plant used to develop and validate the HiPurA process. Test work will evaluate the compatibility of Lake Hope feedstock. The acquisition provides Impact with real assets, experienced partners, and a faster path to revenue generation. The company envisions a dual-stream HPA strategy, combining upstream strength with downstream innovation, positioning them favorably in the global HPA market, especially for batteries, semiconductors, and specialty materials.
