- 01SAMI expands Alpha testing in NSW.
- 02Technix: resin/asphaltene balance; high-shear mixing.
- 03Target C-170 paving-grade; other specs possible.
Greenvale Energy (ASX: GRV) has increased the scope of a testing program for its Alpha torbanite-cannelite project in Queensland, after New Zealand-based Technix Bitumen Technologies provided valuable technical data on the processing and modification of product samples.
Technix identified the importance of resin-to-asphaltene balance, high-shear mixing, and filtration, while defining the remaining stability, adhesion, and elasticity challenges required to meet C-170 bitumen specifications.
Greenvale has now commissioned Australia’s largest bitumen supplier SAMI Bitumen Technologies to conduct broader development testing at its research centre in New South Wales which will include blending and modification trials and assessment against various AS2008 paving-grade bitumen requirements.
While C-170 remains the preferred target specification, alternative standards and specification grades will be considered depending on Alpha material’s response to the SAMI trials.
The Alpha project hosts an inferred mineral resource estimate of 28.6 million tonnes of combined torbanite and cannelite, with preliminary volumetrics of 27.7 million barrels of synthetic oil equivalent.
Meeting Bitumen Specifications
Designed to determine what compliant paving-grade bitumen binder, bitumen-type products, and/or high-asphaltene derived products can be produced in a scalable manner, the expanded program represents the final phase of Alpha Test Program 7 (TP7).
Technix completed the first phase of its work in July and has been assessing the use of its proprietary process to blend and modify Alpha product, seeking to produce material that will meet C-170 bitumen specifications.
Blending was achieved under pressure utilising high-speed mixing, allowing the derived material to become more uniform and consistent and increasing the product’s viscosity.
Oxidation was incorporated after initial results failed to meet the required specifications.
However, while this increased hardness and asphaltene clustering, it still did not meet the C-170 target.
Technix concluded that the resin-to-asphaltene balance was a key control on product performance, establishing a clear technical foundation for SAMI’s work which is scheduled for completion in eight weeks.
Important Step Forward
Greenvale managing director Alex Cheeseman said the new round of testing was a positive and important step forward for Alpha.
“The Technix program did not result in a C-170 certification, but it did generate valuable technical information and demonstrated that Alpha-derived material responds positively to controlled distillation, compositional adjustment, and high-shear processing,” he said.
“The broader program with SAMI is designed to maximise the potential to produce a compliant paving-grade binder while defining the most practical pathway toward unlocking broader value from the Alpha project.”
The market for kerogen-style deposits such as Alpha is projected to grow from US$3.58 billion in 2026 to US$5.51 billion by 2032, driven by energy security priorities and demand for domestic fuels and industrial feedstocks.
Mr Cheeseman believes Alpha remains strategically relevant at a time when Australia continues to depend on international supply chains for oil-derived products, including bitumen.
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