Austpac’s EARS section includes a carbon dioxide absorption column to minimize release of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere

ERMS SR is the world’s most environmentally sustainable synrutile process.

The ERMS SR synrutile process is unique in delivering two valuable products with no solid or liquid wastes. The process is carbon-capture capable and generates less CO2 per tonne of product than other ilmenite upgrading processes. Thus it is the most environmentally friendly ilmenite upgrading process available today.

The ERMS SR process is the world’s most versatile, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly ilmenite upgrading process.

The ERMS SR process:

• can use any ilmenite from any deposit around the world
• can use any fuel (solid, liquid or gas)
• can use treated waste water where available
• produces no liquid waste and no solid waste (no landfill)
• emits the least CO2 per dollar of revenue compared with other upgrading processes
• is carbon-capture capable; the very pure captured CO2 is saleable to other industries
• uses waste heat to generate electricity so is self-sufficient for power

Recycling Steel Industry Waste
The EARS section of the Newcastle Demonstration Plant has a capacity of 40 tonnes per day (tpd). During the second half of 2008, Austpac undertook trials recycling steel industry wastes. The Plant is being refurbished to process spent pickle liquor (acidic iron chloride waste solutions), mill scale and electric arc furnace (“EAF”) dust to produce fresh hydrochloric acid and iron pellets for steel making. This will prove the EARS process on a commercial scale, ready for world wide application in the steel industry.

EAF dust from electric arc furnaces, iron oxide scale from steel rolling mills and spent pickle liquor from steel coating are waste products that create environmental problems for many steel producers around the world. Austpac’s unique EARS regeneration process can economically recover both the chloride and the iron from pickle liquors, as well as recover iron from the mill scale and EAF dust.

The EARS process is expected to be accepted as the environmental solution for the significant waste problem now facing the world’s steel industry.

Environmental Sustainability with Austpac Resources
Titanium is a stronger, longer lasting non-corroding metal than more commonly used products such as steel and aluminium. Long lasting products mean less long term manufacturing and consequently lower emissions.

TiO2 is being utilised in the next generation of solar cells. The cost of manufacture is far lower than current cells (which use crystalline silicon). This low cost will ensure much wider availability of solar cells to the general population.

TiO2 is also used in photoactive coatings which utilise UV light to clean surfaces and surrounding atmosphere, resulting in less use of harmful detergents and cleaning agents and reduced water use. Australian hospitals are already using this technology to safeguard hospitals against bacterial infection, such as “golden staph”.

Photoactive tiles on a street level utilise TiO2 to convert harmful gases from urban environment emissions. This process is currently being trialled with great success in Europe.