Aaron Banks

Suvo Strategic Minerals has turned nickel slag, the highly-polluting waste product of nickel pig iron production, into a high-strength, low-cost and low-carbon cement. Confirming positive laboratory testing that could revolutionise the centuries-old cement industry, the company says its recent trials in collaboration with Makassar State University in Indonesia achieved a compressive strength of 37.5 megapascals (MPa) after just seven days.

Suvo Strategic Minerals has raised $2 million in a heavily-oversubscribed placement to develop and commercialise its low-carbon green cement product, with the owners of WA’s premier supplier of pre-cast concrete products, PERMAcast, kicking in $300,000 to join the register. Suvo holds a worldwide intellectual-property (IP) license for its “Geopolymer” cement that is manufactured using what would traditionally be waste streams from other industries.

Suvo Strategic Minerals’ subsidiary, Climate Tech Cement, has inked a 50:50 joint-venture (JV) agreement with respected pre-cast concrete manufacturer PERMAcast to commercialise intellectual property for a low-carbon “geopolymer” cement product made from processed mining waste. The aim is to introduce low-carbon concrete projects and products to market. PERMAcast has supplied concrete products for many notable WA developments.

Suvo Strategic Minerals has been offered a chance to field trial its lower carbon cement in a project to replace Victoria’s dangerous level crossings. Suvo’s concrete mixes use cleaner cement made from kaolin amongst other things. The government agency leading the project will also help Suvo navigate the commercial and technical approval processes involved to introduce its cement mixes to the marketplace.

Suvo Strategic Minerals has entered a JV with an Indonesian management company to turn its nickel slag stockpile into low-carbon cement and concrete products

Suvo Strategic Minerals has extended for a further three years a major hydrous kaolin supply contract with Tasmanian paper mill operator Norske Skog, which may boost sales by up to 50pc. Suvo also anticipates sales volume growth this year from other existing clients and is awaiting larger batch field trial results for its kaolin products.

Suvo Strategic Minerals has locked away a game-changing five-year renewal of its key hydrous kaolin offtake agreement with Chaozhou Chengcheng Industrial Co, doubling sales to the Chinese industrial powerhouse. The take-or-pay agreement, valued at $6.56 million before delivery costs, has increased volumes from 4275t of the company’s hydrous kaolin in the previous three-year agreement to 8750t under the new deal.

Suvo Strategic Minerals’ low-carbon concrete joint venture with PERMAcast has scored its first binding MOU with a WA-based wind farm developer. It plans to construct and install 3GW onshore and 2GW offshore capacity, deploying up to 500 turbines that each require more than 1000 cubic metres of concrete. The JV partners have a right to first refusal on the supply deal subject to a successful pilot program.

In a significant step for the company, lab tests have confirmed Green360 Technology’s new high-reactivity metakaolin is well suited for producing low-carbon cement and low-carbon, high-performance structural concrete. The company produced metakaolin samples from its kaolin resources and deposits that exceed the quality benchmarks of other metakaolin products currently available in Australia.