Alliance Magnesium Inc. produced its first metal magnesium ingots at its Danville demonstration plant in Quebec. This comes after four years of technological development, design, and construction of a pilot plant, which started in October 2015. The ingots, which are now produced on a regular basis, are used to validate the manufacturing process developed by Alliance Magnesium and to collect the technical and economic information necessary for the subsequent phases of magnesium production.
The patented process is powered by hydroelectricity to convert serpentine tailings from defunct asbestos mining operations in Quebec. The process involves a hydrogen gas diffusion anode arrangement for use in electrolytic production of metals, such as magnesium producing hydrogen chloride as a by-product. The company received allowance from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for its Canadian patent application CA2889797 “Hydrogen Gas Diffusion Anode Arrangement producing HCL” in January 2016.
“This is a crucial step in the development of AMI that has just been completed. It depends on the hard work of all our staff, as well as our financial, technical and government partners who share our ambition to become the greenest magnesium producer on the planet. “Said Dr. Joël Fournier, Chief Executive Officer of AMI.
Alliance Magnesium announced that it is receiving a $4.1 million loan from the Fonds de diversification économique de la MRC des Sources, a fund created by the Government of Québec. The funding will go toward the operations of its pilot plant and the preparation of its $100 million commercial demonstration plant, which will take shape during 2017 and aims to create more than 70 jobs.
“We are delighted to count the Regional Fund as one of our strategic partners in the evolution of our company,” said Dr. Fournier. “This financial contribution demonstrates the recognition of AMI’s business model as a key driver of the region’s economic recovery and its positive impact on the community.” The company has invested more than $12 million in the region over the past three years and directly and subcontracts more than 20 professionals and operators.