Advanced Materials R&D
Ultra-high purity materials from non-traditional mineral sources. Developed with QUT.
About us
Lava Blue licenses its proprietary processing technology to production partners, who validate their feedstock at PRiSM before building and operating full-scale production facilities using Lava Blue’s intellectual property.
Origin story
Turning Australia's Minerals Into Advanced Materials
It Started in the Volcanic Soils of North Queensland
In the 1960s and 70s, Lava Plains in North Queensland supplied more than 10% of the world's blue sapphires, the crystal form of aluminium oxide. The same compound is High Purity Alumina.
In 2018, Lava Blue produced its first batch of 4N HPA from the volcanic clay of Lava Plains, using a proprietary process developed with QUT. Today, our subsidiary Mt Rosey Mining Company holds the original mining lease, sitting on a JORC-compliant aluminium rich clay deposit of more than 13 million tonnes.
Science partnership
Built on nearly a decade of university partnership
400+
SQ Metre Lab Space
8+
Year Partnership
Lava Blue funds a dedicated research team at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Postgraduate, doctoral, and professorial researchers working exclusively on our projects.
They operate from a 400+ square metre lab at QUT, with access to the university's Central Analytical Research Facility. Research is then scaled up from lab to pilot at our PRiSM facility in Brisbane’s south east.
Designed for scale
What We're Working On
Purity Matters
Analytical methods to measure and qualify materials to 4N (99.99%) and 5N (99.999%) purity.
Value from Waste
Recovery of critical materials from mine tailings and industrial residues.
Zero Emissions Processing
Embedding renewable energy inputs across all processing technologies.
Materials by Design
Precise control over material properties for next-generation applications.
Sustainability
Responsible by design
Climate
Our process for manufacturing ultra-pure alumina leads the way in terms of cost, energy intensity and environmental performance.
We have tailored the process to rely solely on electricity for its energy needs so that, when powered renewably, we minimise Scope 1 emissions.
Environment
Our feedstocks are non-traditional: clays, mining wastes and industrial residues. Processing is built around low-temperature chemistry that minimises reagent use, water demand and harmful by-products at every step from mine to material.
Circular Economy
We recover critical materials from mine tailings and industrial residues, turning legacy waste streams into high-value advanced materials.
What others treat as liabilities, our licensees process into valuable co-products.
Social
A decade-long partnership with QUT funds a team of research scientists and trains the next generation of process and chemical engineers.
From research to production
Lava Blue's research programs feed directly into commercial outcomes. Proprietary processes are validated at pilot scale at PRiSM, then licensed to partners to build full-scale facilities.
