Archer Materials Ltd (ASX:AXE) is set to commence aircore drilling at its Eyre Peninsula Halloysite-Kaolin Project (EP Project) this week.
Location of EP Project and Franklyn Project. EP Project is 115 kilometres west of the Whyalla Port, South Australia.
The drilling will focus on the Kelly Tank, Balumbah and Bunora prospects within the larger EP Project area.
The drilling aims to confirm the areal extent of the kaolin mineralisation and to collect a bulk sample for advanced testing of the kaolin and halloysite materials’ properties.
Samples will be wet screened, then have their chemistries analysed, after which samples will be submitted for x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses to determine the presence of halloysite.
Location of holes to be drilled (red) on EP Project
In addition to the aircore drilling, Archer’s field crew will also visit other prospective locations to collect samples.
The company anticipates that the results from drilling would confirm the extent of increases to the area of known mineralisation on the EP Project.
Archer executive chairman Greg English said: “We have developed a large Exploration Target on the EP Project and expect this drill program to validate and expand the Exploration Target.
EP Project and Franklyn Project exploration targets
“We like the EP Project because it is located close to existing infrastructure and easily accessed by existing roads and tracks thereby making exploration easier and relatively low cost.
“In addition to the presence of a large kaolin Exploration Target, the confirmation of the presence of high-value mineral halloysite would increase the potential of the EP Project.”
Market potential
Kaolin and halloysite are alumina-based clays, that can naturally occur intermixed, and are part of a larger $3 billion construction materials industry in Australia.
These materials have recently emerged as a potential feedstock in processing high-value and hard-to-substitute high-purity alumina (HPA) that could be used in deep-tech applications such as light-emitting diodes and lithium-ion batteries; with halloysite having a nanostructure that may allow its use as an efficient catalyst in the petrochemicals industry.
Next steps
The drilling at the EP Project is expected to be completed within five days. Drill samples will then be submitted for wet screening and XRD testing will follow to determine the presence of halloysite.
The test work is expected to take 4-6 weeks with the results being disclosed once they become available.
In addition to the EP Project drill results, Archer expects to report further results from the Franklyn Project drilling in late Feb 2020.