Orbite Aluminae Moves Toward Being the First North American Producer of High-Purity Alumina

MONTREAL, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbite Aluminae Inc. (TSX: ORT) (OTCQX: EORBF) ("Orbite" or the "Company"), a leading provider of clean technology and developer of breakthrough alternative solutions for the alumina production industry, today announced it will begin producing high-purity alumina (HPA) in the first quarter of 2013 at its plant in Cap-Chat Quebec.

Orbite is expected to be the only North American company producing a 5N (99.999%) purity level of alumina, which is a rapidly growing market driven by increasing demand for LED lighting and products – applications that already represent nearly half of the overall market for HPA.  By 2015, LED usage is expected to account for about 60 percent of the total HPA market partially due to legislation mandating a shift from incandescent and CFL (compact florescent) to LED lighting. 

"Global demand for high-purity alumina is quickly exceeding the available supply," said Richard Boudreault, President and CEO of Orbite Aluminae. "Orbite should help address this deficit, which is critical to a range of industries, and is well positioned to be a strategic alternative to the Asian producers who've largely dominated and controlled the market."

Boudreault noted that another key market factor is the quality of the metal. "As technological applications continue to develop and advance, they require alumina that has a higher rate of purity, which is why our laboratory is also working hard to develop a 6N (or 99.9999%) purity level before the Company's HPA commercial plant is in service. The HPA plant, expected in operation early next year, will also enable the production of Rare Earth Elements," he commented.

In addition to LED products, high-purity alumina is also used in the production of semiconductors, phosphor products (e.g. plasma screens), lithium-ion batteries, and automotive sensors.  According to Orbite, these are all business segments with substantial growth opportunity lies as demand increases, especially in emerging markets.

High-Purity Alumina (HPA) – Market Potential and Orbite's Competitive Advantages (http://www.orbitealuminae.com/media/upload/filings/HPA_VERSION_0.pdf), which is a research-based analysis by the consulting firm SECOR, details the current state of the HPA market and the opportunities that Orbite offers to prospective customers through its new production capacity.

Lower Costs, Environmentally-Neutral Extraction, and New Applications
Orbite's technology will allow for the extraction of alumina from a wide range of source materials such as argillite, bauxite, and fly ash at significantly lower costs and without generating a single ounce of the toxic red mud pollutant that the traditional Bayer process produces. Additionally, the process can extract alumina from red mud residue, and will also be applied for the first time to aluminous clay. In fact, Orbite's clay deposits in the Gaspe region of Quebec will be the primary source material for the production of 5N alumina.

Orbite refined its first commercial samples of 5N purity alumina – produced in its HPA pilot plant – at its laboratory located in Laval, Quebec, which were then sent to potential customers selected according to their alumina needs and their potential for strategic partnerships with the Company as it moves toward commercializing its technologies and activities.

The technical content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by Marc Filion, a qualified person under the terms of National Instrument 43-101 Respecting Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (Quebec). Mr. Filion is a consultant of Orbite, and as such, is not independent pursuant to NI 43-101.

About Orbite
Orbite Aluminae Inc. is a Canadian clean tech company whose innovative technologies are setting the new standard for alumina production.  Orbite technologies enable environmentally-neutral extraction of smelter-grade alumina (SGA), high-purity alumina (HPA) and high-value elements, including rare earths and rare metals, from a variety of sources such as aluminous clay and bauxite, without generating the toxic red mud residue that the traditional Bayer process produces.  The Company owns ten different families of intellectual property rights (and patents pending) filed across the world for the extraction of alumina at the highest standards of sustainability.  Orbite also owns exclusive mining rights over a total of 60,984 hectares, including the 6,665-hectare Grande-Vallee property, the site of an aluminous clay deposit in Quebec, Canada.  An NI 43-101 compliant report dated May 30, 2012 identified over 1 billion tonnes of aluminous clay in part of this deposit. Orbite is currently converting its 2,600 m² pilot plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec, Canada, into a full-scale high-purity alumina production facility, and expects this plant to be fully operational in early 2013.  The Company also anticipates the launch of construction of its first SGA plant towards the end of 2013.  Orbite plans to offer SGA and HPA products and to license its low processing cost technologies to well-qualified producers who want to reduce their environmental footprint. Orbite has recently entered into partnerships with the world's largest aluminum producer, UC Rusal.

Forward-looking statements
Certain information contained in this document may include "forward-looking information". Without limiting the foregoing, the information and any forward-looking information may include statements regarding projects, costs, objectives and future returns of the Company or hypotheses underlying these items. In this document, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate" and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or the Company management's good-faith beliefs with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. These risks uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described in the section of the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) entitled "Risk and Uncertainties" as filed on March 22, 2012 on SEDAR, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, nor does it undertake, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this document to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

SOURCE Orbite Aluminae Inc.