Staying Ahead with Ideas

By feeding creativity and pushing boundaries, Jord has expanded its technology offering over the past 50 years. Its current primary focus is to pioneer minerals beneficiation techniques that enhance recoveries whilst minimising energy and water consumption.

John Warner, Managing Director of JordProxa and Former Head of Technology at Jord, describes Jord’s approach as technically adventurous and financially conservative. “Jord maintains cash reserves and doesn’t have debt, which allows us to explore new ideas and take risks with a strong financial anchor,” said John.

“It’s important to recognise that technology is changing at a more rapid pace today than it ever has before. What that means is that knowledge is changing and, as a business, we need to manage the change of knowledge. It’s important to have people who are powerful thinkers,” said John. “Jord thrives because it has a deliberate combination of thinkers, fast movers and enablers, and strategic and disciplined people.”

Pictured: Staff drawing in the Sydney office during the early Jord days.

When John joined the firm in the mid-1990s, Jord was focused on heat exchangers, furnaces and solid-liquid separation. John was instrumental in moving beyond supplying individual pieces of process plant to developing in-house capabilities to deliver more complex turnkey systems

“At Jord, we’re good at bringing the next generation of knowledge into the company and embracing new ways of working,” said John. “In many companies, the older generation are possessive of their technical expertise, whereas Jord’s culture encourages experienced staff to set the direction and share their knowledge, leaving space for others to grow and enable change.”

Pictured: Jord lifts evaporation/crystallisation modules in the late 1990s.

A downturn in the mining industry during the late 1990s prompted Jord to move into modular plant deliveries. The aim was to limit the risks inherent when constructing large plants on site. It was a strategic decision that continues to guide its plant designs today. “We learned how to do modules through experience,” said John. “When you lift modules from horizontal to a vertical position, for example, the loads move sideways, and all the pipes and details need to be designed for that.”

Jord continued to establish and grow new business divisions throughout the 2000s. It recognised significant potential in the clean air market and secured an exclusive agreement for equilibrium coefficients data to deliver world class vent gas scrubbers. It also established an engineering hub in India, directly employing highly qualified staff.

Pictured: Jord secured equilibrium coefficients data to deliver world class vent gas scrubbers in the 2000s.

John believes that developing a global network of technical experts has been the key to Jord’s evolution. “We were pioneers of remote working because we knew the right people in like-minded small companies around the world who we needed to engage,” he said. “So, we had the idea of linking people across the world, but the hardware didn’t exist. The introduction of global data connectivity was a significant milestone. We built our own project execution software and have stayed at the forefront by allowing our globally spread people to work efficiently and effectively together.”

Jord Director of Sales Dean Reeves says many people are familiar with Jord’s longstanding expertise in dry cooling systems, but the team is always hungry for new challenges. “Joint ventures are one of the ways we’ve extended our expertise and entered emerging markets,” said Dean.

“For example, we’ve established a firm position in the market producing process modules for FPSO [Floating Production Storage Offloading] vessels, which we specifically target through our Netherlands-based joint venture group, called Jord Oil and Gas Systems B.V.,” said Dean.

“We have five decades of project references to leverage. I’m excited to see how we will continue to grow and diversify for years to come,” said Dean.

In 2022, Jord celebrates 50 years of service. Thank you to all our staff (past and present), customers, vendors and suppliers who have been part of our story.


Jord’s humble beginnings in the 1970s

Jord Co-founder Phil Blundell says it doesn’t seem like 50 years since his business partner John Holden returned from the Racecourse Sugar Mill in Queensland with Jord’s very first order. “The order comprised a rotary drum vacuum filter for sugar cane mud filtering. We designated the order as J11 because we didn’t want people to realise it was our first order!” said Phil.

“The Order was handwritten by the mill manager, who simply said ‘I need a Jord filter, 14 ft diameter x 24 ft long, $55,000.’ There were no terms and conditions. No delivery date. Everybody just knew the filter had to be there for the start of the sugar crushing season, which was June.”

As soon as this first order was received, Phil and John contacted Peter Olsen, a draftsman with whom they had previously worked. “The filter was drawn up in my bedroom,” said Peter. “John and Phil used to come around to the unit in Kirribilli and see what I was doing. Which was old ink drawings done on counter-weight drawing boards.”

“It was totally different to now, because you would start with a big blank piece of paper. The saying used to be, if you don’t know what you’re doing, put in a centre line and work from there,” said Peter. “We had to cut the drawing sheets from a roll of drawing paper. You then had to have the right ink pens, with the right thickness depending on what type of lines you were doing.”

“Calculations were done on a slide rule. Then we got this wizz bang new innovative technology, the Hewlett Packard HP41 calculator. That sure made life a lot easier.”

Phil said contracts with the sugar industry in Queensland were very good because they wanted to help Jord get going in the industry. “On our very first job, they made sure we got payment ahead of schedule so we could use that money to buy all the components and get things made,” he said. “We didn’t have those financial problems that most people seem to have when they start a business.”

When reflecting on the last 50 years, Phil says a couple of projects stand out.

“One of my favourites was a major contract we got with Santos in Moomba, South Australia for a big gas expansion they were doing in the early 1980s. This was a major job for us, which was air cooled heat exchangers against worldwide competition. That really got us going in the global oil and gas industry” he said.

“The next year we received a very large order for 29 drum filters for an alumina plant in Western Australia. That was a major breakthrough. By world standards, that was a big installation. It cemented Jord on the map as a major supplier of process plant.”

Jord CEO Angus Holden was seven years old when his father started the company with Phil. “I’ve lived and breathed Jord, from since I was in shorts through to now,” said Angus. “A lot of the big brand names in our industry over the last 50 years have come and gone, while we’ve been able to perform through recessions, pandemics, and various other global crises. We’re still here, stronger than ever. That’s something everyone who has contributed to Jord’s success can be proud of.”

In 2022, Jord celebrates 50 years of service. Thank you to all our staff (past and present), customers, vendors and suppliers who have been part of our story.


Jord opens office in Denver, USA

Jord International (Jord) is proud to open its new office in Denver, Colorado. Building on the firm’s 50-year history serving the global energy and resource sectors, the new office extends Jord’s support for the sectors’ transition to reliable, affordable and sustainable energy.

General Manager – Americas, Oliver Whatnall says Jord’s permanent home in the U.S. will provide greater service and responsiveness to its customers throughout the Americas.

“Jord recognises the critical role the two American continents play in the global energy transition. We’re collaborating with a growing family of partners here to pioneer innovative technologies that drive down critical mineral production costs, efficiently and sustainably,” said Mr Whatnall.

Jord’s global collaborations have led to several innovative technologies, including Viper, XtractOre and NovaCell™. Viper revolutionises tailings filtration, offering a simple, scalable and cost-effective solution. XtractOre recovers valuable minerals currently lost in tailing streams. NovaCell™ is a step-change in flotation for broad-based critical minerals processing, recovering both coarse and fine particles in one device, using less water and substantially less energy than conventional approaches.

Jord looks forward to working with its partners through and beyond the energy transition.

Pictured: Oliver Whatnall, Jord General Manager – Americas

Contact Jord America:

Address: 250 Fillmore Street, Suite 150, Denver, CO 80206
Phone: +1 720 869 7610
Click here to email

About Jord International:

Jord Group designs, manufactures, commissions and services custom process plant and systems. From its Australian headquarters, Jord has delivered $5 billion of bespoke plant and systems to over 130 countries around the world, helping to make the energy and resource sectors ever more sustainable. Visit www.jord.com.au for more information.


Japan’s ever-expanding renewable energy drive

Jord is delighted to confirm its participation in the Wakayama Gobo Biomass Power Plant, located 120 km south of Osaka, Japan. Jord’s role is to design and construct the air-cooled vacuum steam condensing system (ACC) as part of the overall plant being built by Toyo Engineering Corporation. The plant will use wood pellets and agricultural byproduct as feedstock, to generate 50MW of power. Enough power to cater to 110,000 Japanese households a year.
Japan is investing in ways to match a 4% year-on-year growth in energy demand with reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. In 2022, Japan’s renewable energy output increased by 11.7 percent, driven primarily by solar power and biomass generation.

Jord’s ACC condenses the steam exhaust of the power plant’s steam turbine.


Battery chemicals for Europe

JordProxa has secured a second battery chemical crystallisation plant in Finland. Following the successful commissioning of its nickel sulphate, cobalt sulphate and ammonium sulphate plants for Terrafame, this
second plant crystallizes battery grade lithium hydroxide (LiOH).

This second plant is bound for Europe’s first fully integrated lithium plant, being developed by Keliber. It will produce 15,000 tpa of battery grade lithium hydroxide using for its main raw material spodumene concentrate produced from its own ore present on the west coast Finland site.

Jord’s customer is Metso Outotec, licensee of the soda leaching technology being used for the process. JordProxa’s plant is depicted in the accompanying 3D image. It includes a PLS evaporator, two stages of lithium hydroxide crystallisation and a drying circuit.


Reflecting on our 51st year of operations

Jord CEO Angus Holden says, “It gives me great pleasure to report a record year for Jord with $320 million of revenue.”

Watch a short video report:

In our 51st year of operations, our team expanded, we opened a new office in Denver, and we advanced some exciting new technologies.

Project highlights included:

  • Vacuum steam condensers for a biomass waste to energy plant in Japan.
  • Compressor balance of plant modules for a carbon capture projects in the USA and Australia.
  • Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) effluent treatment plant for an EV battery recycling plant in Rochester, New York.
  • Accessory modules supporting GE’s latest generation 9HA gas turbine technology for a 6,500MW power plant in Taiwan.
  • Clean air scrubbing system for a zinc smelter in Australia.
  • Topside modules weighing over 10,000 tons for an FPSO in Brazil including the first combined cycle power plant to be installed on an FPSO.
  • Cooling water modules for an LNG plant in Plaquamine, USA.
  • Viper and NovaCell demonstration plants for minerals beneficiation process plants in Chile and the USA.

 

About Jord

The next 30 years will see massive energy investment as the world shifts from the fuels of the 20th century to meet the renewable energy needs of the 21st, and safeguard the children of the 22nd. Jord is pioneering new technologies required for this transition and improving our existing technologies to minimise their impact.

Our role is threefold:

  • design and construct process plant for traditional resource and energy sectors essential to power the transition.
  • focus on technology innovations that deliver critical minerals and power new energy solutions in an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable manner.
  • ensure our Aftermarket solutions allow existing process plant to run more efficiently, thereby lowering emissions and extending plant life.

We have learned a lot in 50 years. It’s yours to go.

Contact

For more information, visit www.jord.com.au or phone +61 2 8425 1500.


JordProxa and Vulcan Partnership

JordProxa and Vulcan Energie Ressourcen GmbH (Vulcan) and have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the technology and process components for the Lithium Extraction and Central Lithium Plants of Vulcan’s Phase One integrated renewable energy and ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project (the Project).

The partnership between Vulcan and JordProxa as the selected technology partner is geared toward the joint objective of delivering Vulcan’s Phase One Project on time with improved cost performance and optimisation for the lithium process portion of the project development.

Leveraging JordProxa’s expertise in providing solutions for producing high purity battery grade products by integrating crystallisation, evaporation, water treatment technologies, the intent of the MoU is to enhance project processes and production, streamline delivery times, and optimise Vulcan’s project costs. Additionally, this MoU will facilitate early engagement with Vulcan’s EPCM contractor and the Main Electrical and Automation Contractor to clarify scope definition, boundary limits, design principles, standards, and interfaces. Design optimisation will be achieved by integrating JordProxa’s experience and utilising the capability, data and knowledge from Vulcan’s current pilot and optimisation plants.

Working closely with Vulcan’s team in Germany, JordProxa will optimise the design basis and develop pricing proposals, project execution plans, and an interface management plan.

Beyond project completion, JordProxa’s commitment is intended to extend to operational support and continuous performance improvement initiatives throughout the plant’s lifecycle. This long-term commitment would ensure that Vulcan can rely on JordProxa’s support and expertise even after the Project is completed.

Vulcan MD and CEO, Cris Moreno stated, “I’m confident this MoU marks the beginning of a promising long-term partnership between Vulcan and JordProxa. We are delighted to join forces with JordProxa to deliver cutting-edge water processing, crystallisation and evaporation systems for Phase One of our integrated renewable energy and ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project and beyond, underscoring our mutual dedication to innovation and sustainability.”

Director of JordProxa, Angus Holden stated, “Vulcan’s ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project offers a breakthrough opportunity in sustainable lithium production. JordProxa’s MoU with Vulcan enables our joint teams to work as partners towards the common goal of sustainable lithium.  We look forward to supporting Vulcan in realising this milestone project”.

JordProxa, is a leader in custom end-to-end battery minerals processing, crystallisation and evaporation plant and systems, playing a key role in meeting the challenges of high purity, sustainability, and value to meet the increasing demand for lithium-ion and other battery metals. JordProxa has over 250 project references globally including major battery grade projects for blue chip clients in Finland, Australia, Latin America and Canada.

Upon completion of the MoU scope, Vulcan and JordProxa aim to advance towards a definitive agreement for the execution of Vulcan’s Phase One Lithium Extraction and Central Lithium Plants of the ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ and Renewable Energy Project.

About Vulcan 

Founded in 2018, Vulcan’s purpose is to empower a carbon neutral future, through the co-production of lithium, heat and renewable energy from geothermal brine. Vulcan is focused on delivering the world’s first integrated renewable energy and ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project. By adapting existing technologies to efficiently extract lithium from geothermal brine, Vulcan aims to deliver a local source of sustainable lithium for Europe, built around a carbon neutral strategy with exclusion of fossil fuels. Already an operational renewable energy producer, Vulcan will also provide renewable electricity and heat to local communities. Vulcan’s combined geothermal energy and lithium resource is the largest in Europe, with licence areas focused on the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany. Strategically placed in the heart of the European electric vehicle market to decarbonise the supply chain, Vulcan is rapidly advancing the ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project to target timely market entry, with the ability to expand to meet the unprecedented demand that is building in the European markets. Guided by our Values of Climate Champion, Determined and Inspiring, and united by a passion for the environment and leveraging scientific solutions, Vulcan has a unique, world leading scientific and commercial team in the fields of lithium chemicals and geothermal renewable energy. Vulcan is committed to partnering with organisations that share its decarbonisation ambitions and has binding lithium offtake agreements with some of the largest cathode, battery, and automakers in the world. As a motivated disruptor, Vulcan aims to leverage its multidisciplinary expert team, leading geothermal technology and position in the European EV supply chain to be a global leader in producing carbon neutral lithium. Vulcan aims to be the largest, most preferred, strategic supplier of lithium chemicals and renewable power and heating from Europe, for Europe; to empower a carbon neutral future.

About JordProxa 

JordProxa delivers custom engineered solutions to produce a wide range of ultra-pure battery chemicals by integrating advanced water treatment, evaporation and crystallization technologies.  Our experience, spanning over 45 years in diverse industries enables us to offer cost effective and robust solutions that incorporate the latest advances in technology.

Head quartered in Sydney, Australia, JordProxa operates throughout Europe, North & South America, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.  It offers the complete range of capabilities and services from project inception to completion, including R&D, testing, on-going operational support and aftermarket support.

Through on-going research and development, both in-house and through tertiary academic and research institutions, the company is able to continuously meet and exceed the ever-increasing purity needs of lithium-ion batteries and other energy metals,

We leverage an established network of fabrication alliances and decades of experience with modular plant design. This allows us to deliver key plant assemblies that are extensively tested and proven in the workshop before they are dispatched and installed on site. This helps us optimise project delivery time whilst minimising the project risk.

For any enquiries, please contact Nipen Shah on +61 2 8425 1500 or email info@jordproxa.com


Jord delivers energy efficient Topsides for Brazli FPSO

Jord Oil & Gas Systems b.v. is delighted to have played a part in delivering Yinson Production’s first FPSO to operate heat recovery steam generation (“HRSG”) as part of its combined cycle power generation system. This is part of Yinson’s continuous effort in reducing carbon emissions and being a frontrunner in decarbonising the FPSO industry towards the goal of net zero.

Jord’s scope entailed 10,000 tons of Topside Modules, including the power modules, comprising four Baker Hughes LM2500 dual fuel turbines and one steam turbine. The combined output is 145MW.

This is the second set of Topsides Jord has designed and constructed for Yinson, Both are for Petrobras fields offshore Brazil. The first (Anna Nery) commenced operation in May 2023. This latest FPSO, Maria Quiteria, is on route to Brazil.


Single lift paste back-fill filter installed

Jord has continued to support the mining industry’s drive towards sustainable tailings management via the delivery of our largest ever ‘single lift’ HVBF filter. The 33m long x 5m wide vacuum belt filter will be dewatering gold tailings for paste backfill in NSW, Australia. It was delivered to site fully assembled, to minimise site assembly time and cost. Jord’s scope of supply included support structures and dual level walkways, for optimal access for inspection  and maintenance services.


Clear skies ahead for Newcastle

Orica is set to substantially reduce particle emissions from its Kooragang Island, Newcastle explosives facility, with the installation of new pollution control technology under license from Jord.

Jord’s brief back in 2021 was to design and construct an irrigated fibre-bed scrubber plant for retro-fit onto Orica’s existing prill tower. The scrubber will capture PM2.5 particles – those with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less – produced during the ammonia nitrate manufacturing process.

Site erection is in its final phase and is scheduled for completion June 2024, allowing commissioning of this eagerly awaited plant to commence.