Suvo Strategic Minerals Ltd (ASX:SUV) has executed a cooperation agreement with the manager of the Bantaeng Industrial Park in Indonesia ahead of a potential commercial arrangement, under which Suvo would incorporate an industrial slag by-product into its geopolymer mix-design to make an eco-friendly geopolymer cement.
Suvo’s wholly owned subsidiary Climate Tech Cement Pty Ltd executed the co-operation agreement with Indonesia’s PT Huadi Bantaeng Industrial Park (PT HBIP), the company that manages Bantaeng Industrial Park.
PT Huadi Nickel-Alloy Indonesia (PT HNI) — a tenant of the Bantaeng Industrial Park — is a nickel pig iron operation in South Sulawesi, around 140 kilometres southeast of the province’s capital, Makassar.
PT HNI produces and stockpiles significant quantities of a slag by-product as part of its operations in Indonesia. Climate Tech Cement intends to test this material to evaluate whether it is suitable to use in the manufacture of geopolymer cement or concrete products.
Climate Tech Cement has agreed to share the results with PT HBIP. This will support the parties’ decision around entering into a commercial arrangement, that would include the ongoing offtake of the material from PT HBIP, and the commercialisation of the material by Climate Tech Cement.
“Potential to be significant milestone”
Suvo executive chairman Aaron Banks said: “We are excited to commence this workstream in Indonesia where we will be testing the by-product of one of the country’s largest miners.
“This has the potential to be a significant milestone for the company as we intend to build on our intellectual property developed to date, locally here in Western Australia.
“Our aim is to incorporate the slag by-product produced and stockpiled by PT Huadi in a geopolymer mix-design, with the goal being to make a geopolymer cement binder which could be an eco-friendly alternative to the high emitting traditional clinker-based cement binder currently used globally.”
Geopolymer market
Geopolymer is an eco-friendly and sustainable choice for construction and infrastructure projects, the demand for geopolymers is rising across the globe.
Geopolymer cement is formed by the reaction between an alkaline solution (chemicals and water) and an aluminosilicate source or feedstock (industrial byproduct). Geopolymer has potential to replace the cement powder within traditional concrete building material.
This presents a significant market, with the global geopolymer market size reaching US$7.3 billion in 2023. IMARC Group expects the market will be worth US$40 billion by 2032, reflecting a 20.9% growth rate (CAGR) from 2024-2032.
The growing focus on sustainable construction practices to reduce carbon footprint, rising awareness about environmental pollution, along with favourable government initiatives, and increasing demand for waste management solutions are some of the major factors propelling the market.
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