Pitt Street Research has published a new research note on Environmental Clean Technologies Ltd (ASX: ECT), which it says has the potential to more than double in value.

High-tech clean technology under development

ECT is developing flash joule heating technology, which can be used to destroy so-called forever chemicals, or PFAS.

The company’s technology is called Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation (REM).

In its recent annual report, the company said this regarding the technology:

Known as ‘forever chemicals’, PFAS are long-lasting and hazardous– posing a health risk to all living organisms. REM applies a powerful, short electric pulse to soil mixed with a conductive material– rapidly heating it to 1,000°C within seconds. This extreme, but controlled, heat breaks the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS. This process destroys PFAS and converts them into harmless calcium fluoride (CaF2) from calcium naturally present in soil. Laboratory studies have shown over 96% defluorination efficiency and 99.98% removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most persistent and harmful PFAS pollutants. Unlike conventional methods that merely remove or transfer contaminants, REM delivers near-complete destruction without secondary aqueous waste, while enhancing soil quality, and is both cost and energy efficient.

ECT has also recently announced a $12 million capital raise to fund the acquisition of Xenica, which holds production rights to compounds known as MXenes and a license to sell them into military end-markets.

Pitt Street Research said re the acquisition:

The investment case now centres on premium MXene sales into US and Australian defence markets, where these lightweight, conductive materials could be used for EMI shielding, radar absorption and infrared-signature reduction in defence aerospace platforms. We believe these applications could support premium pricing and develop into a high-margin business if ECT successfully scales production and qualifies its material with defence customers.

Pitt Street said high-end MXenes command about US$400 per gram and can exceed the electrical performance of copper, graphene, and graphite.

The broker added:

ECT’s capital and production strategy is to partner with Metallium (ASX: MTM) to access its modular FJH reactors, providing a potentially capital-light and faster pathway to MXene production without building manufacturing infrastructure from scratch. Revenues from this speciality materials business are intended to be reinvested into ECT to help fund its long-term PFAS destruction platform, which remains the centrepiece of the investment thesis. In this way, the MXene business could support ECT’s growth while reducing its reliance on external capital raises.

Shares looking cheap

Pitt Street has a valuation on ECT shares of between 28 cents and 36 cents, compared to a share price of 11.5 cents at the time of writing.

ECT is valued at $51.6 million.

The post This ASX small cap could jump more than 100%: Broker appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

In late afternoon trade on Wednesday, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is down 3.0% in 12 months, but don’t tell these two rocketing ASX gold stocks.

The outperforming miners in question are gold producer Auric Mining Ltd (ASX: AWJ) and copper-gold explorer Solstice Minerals Ltd (ASX: SLS).

Atop their own successes on and under the ground, both stocks have benefited from surging gold and copper prices. At US$14,084 per tonne, the copper price is up 39% in 12 months. And at US$4,322 per ounces, the gold price is up more than 17%.

As for the two ASX mining shares in question, recently trading for 24 cents apiece, Auric Mining shares are up 26.3% since this time last year.

And with shares swapping hands on Wednesday for $2.39 each, the Solstice Minerals share price has surged 527.6% over the full year.

That’s enough to turn a $10,000 investment into $62,760. In one year!

It’s also spurred a big increase in the ASX gold stock’s market cap. This will see it join the All Ords on Monday as part of the S&P Dow Jones Indices September quarterly rebalance

And looking ahead, RaaS Group’s Joshua Baker – who owns shares in both ASX miners – believes they are well-placed to keep outperforming (courtesy of The Bull).

Here’s why.

ASX gold stock on the growth path

Baker recently ran his slide rule over Auric Mining shares. And he liked what he saw.

“The gold producer generated total record revenue of $44.8 million in first half of 2026, up 13.2 per cent on the prior corresponding period,” he said.

Baker added:

The company posted a net profit before tax of $28 million. The Munda gold mine produced 8,886 ounces from toll milling campaigns. An integrated scoping study supported the re-establishment of the Burbanks processing facility.

Summarising his buy recommendation on the ASX gold stock, Baker concluded:

The company recently announced it had executed binding agreements to buy two leases that together comprise the Union Jack project. One lease is subjected to completion of due diligence. AWJ continues to build a team with extensive experience in developing gold projects.

Which brings us to…

Solstice Minerals’ significant expansion potential

Baker also issued a buy recommendation on Solstice Minerals shares.

SLS remains an exciting opportunity in the copper market,” he said. “Exploration of the Nanadie Well project is progressing, with drilling revealing significant potential to expand the resource.

Summarising his bullish outlook on the ASX gold stock, he said:

The company recently announced new copper-gold intercepts, with reverse circulation drilling identifying previously unrecognised high-grade zones.

Drilling can create value and lead to expanding upside. The shares have risen from $1.81 on August 24 to trade at $2.52 on September 10.

The post Expert names 2 under-the-radar ASX gold stocks to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Every superannuation calculator throws a different number at you. A million dollars. Two million. $630,000.

It’s enough to make anyone give up and spend the lot on a campervan instead. So let’s cut through the noise and answer one specific, useful question: how much superannuation do you actually need to retire on $50,000 a year?

The benchmark everyone quotes

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) publishes the go-to guide for retirement adequacy in this country. A comfortable retirement standard sits at $55,923 a year for a single person and $78,566 for a couple. The modest standard is much lower, at $36,434 and $52,473 respectively.

A $50,000 income, then, sits right in the gap — comfortably above modest, just shy of comfortable. That’s not a bad place for your superannuation to land.

What lump sum actually gets you there?

A single homeowner is estimated to need a superannuation lump sum of $630,000 to fund a comfortable retirement, while a couple needs $730,000.

Since $50,000 sits below the comfortable threshold, you’re likely looking at something meaningfully under $630,000 in superannuation. Think mid-to-high $500,000s for a single homeowner, depending on your drawdown strategy and how much Age Pension support you pick up along the way.

Crucially, those superannuation figures assume a 6% investment return alongside some Age Pension support — this isn’t a “live off $630,000 with zero government help” scenario. The pension is baked into the maths, not a fallback you’re meant to avoid.

The self-funded reality check

Here’s where it gets sharper. Once your superannuation converts to an account-based pension, the government sets minimum withdrawal rates. For anyone aged 65 to 74, that minimum is 5% of the balance each year.

Run that in reverse, and a $50,000 target implies a superannuation balance of roughly $1 million if you’re funding it entirely yourself, with zero pension support. That’s the sobering, no-safety-net version of the number.

So which is it: $600,000 or $1 million?

Both are correct. It just depends on your plan. Are you relying on the Age Pension, or going it entirely alone with your superannuation?

Most Australians land somewhere in between. A part pension top-up can stretch a sub-$700,000 superannuation balance much further than the raw maths would suggest.

Where do you actually sit?

Average superannuation balances for Australians aged 65-69 sit at roughly $448,518 for men and $392,274 for women. That’s short of the comfortable benchmark for most singles, but not miles off a $50,000-a-year lifestyle once the pension is factored in.

Foolish takeaway

There’s no single magic superannuation number for ‘enough’. A sum of $50,000 a year is achievable on a balance well under $630,000 if the Age Pension does some of the heavy lifting. Or it demands close to $1 million in superannuation if you’re determined to self-fund every dollar.

The real question isn’t “how much superannuation do I need?” It’s “how much of my retirement am I willing to hand over to the government to top up?” Answer that first, and the number gets a lot easier to find.

The post How much superannuation is enough to retire with a $50,000 income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.