High purity alumina (HPA) is a high-purity form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3).
High purity alumina is a high-value, high margin and highly demanded product as it is the critical ingredient required for the production of synthetic sapphire. Synthetic sapphire is used in the manufacture of substrates for LED lights, semiconductor wafers used in the electronics industry, and scratch-resistant sapphire glass used for wristwatch faces, optical windows and smartphone components. There is no substitute for HPA in the manufacture of synthetic sapphire. Increasingly, HPA is being used as a coating on the separator sheets in lithium-ion batteries.
HPA is a premium priced material (selling for up to US$40 per kg) with forecast significant annual demand growth driven primarily by two fast-growing industries: the sapphire/LED industry and the rapidly expanding lithium-ion battery industry.
With global HPA demand approximately 19,000tpa (2018), it is estimated that this demand will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% (2018-2028); by 2028 HPA market demand is forecast to be approximately 272,000tpa, driven by both the increasing adoption of LEDs worldwide as well as the increasing demand by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to serve the surging electric vehicle market.