Andromeda begins Japanese customer testing with 99.9989% HPA

Independent testing lifts HPA purity result

Andromeda Metals Limited (ASX:ADN) has moved its high-purity alumina project from laboratory validation towards customer testing, with independent analysis confirming purity of up to 99.9989% from its continuous pilot plant.

EAG Eurofins tested three samples produced from the pilot program. Two returned 99.9989% purity under the industry-standard calculation based on measured impurities, while the third recorded 99.9986%. A more conservative method that assigns reporting-limit values to elements below detection produced purity results of up to 99.9966%, with the third sample at 99.9964%.

The latest result extends the technical milestone reported in the earlier 99.9986% HPA milestone, while keeping the important qualification intact: production remains at continuous pilot scale, rather than a commercial plant.

First Japanese customer sample leaves pilot program

Andromeda has sent its inaugural commercial HPA sample to Japan for evaluation by a potential customer involved in high-tech manufacturing. The recipient has not been named, and the announcement does not represent a binding sale, offtake agreement or completed customer qualification.

Further samples are expected to be prepared and shipped during the remainder of Q4 2026. The company plans to provide both amorphous HPA and crystalline alpha-HPA for prospective customers to assess against their own requirements.

Pilot data feeds planned feasibility study

Beyond making product samples, the continuous pilot plant is generating engineering, design and operating data for process optimisation, scale-up assessment and Andromeda’s planned HPA Pre-Feasibility Study. The program is also examining whether amorphous silica produced as a by-product could become a co-product, with material submitted for analysis of its physical and chemical characteristics.

Andromeda says its patented process can be adapted to customer specifications and end-use applications. That customer engagement strategy is also linked to the Traxys US supply pathway, which previously involved a strategic, non-binding Heads of Agreement for potential HPA supply into the United States.

Commercial proof still depends on qualification and scale

The company’s 2025 scoping study outlined a staged HPA development of up to 10,000 tonnes per annum, with an estimated pre-tax NPV10 of about A$1.48 billion and average annual EBITDA of approximately A$247 million. Those figures remain study estimates, not operating results, and the current announcement does not provide a final investment decision, project funding package or commercial production timetable.

The next evidence will come from the pilot plant’s continued performance, customer feedback and qualification outcomes. Until those steps are complete, 99.9989% purity is a strong product result, but not yet proof that Andromeda can turn the process into a bankable, revenue-generating HPA business.