Indium Corporation and Rio Tinto have announced the effective extraction of gallium from feed sourced from Rio Tinto’s Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Saguenay, Quebec. This success demonstrates the value of collaboration in creating a more resilient global supply chain for gallium. A strategic North American supply will speed the project’s progress toward commercialization of gallium-based technologies.
This gallium extraction technique was designed and developed in the United States at Indium Corporation’s Rome, New York research and development center.
This milestone demonstrates Indium Corporation’s metallurgical ability in refining and converting essential materials, affirmed its official release.
Indium Corporation will continue to develop the extraction process at its research and development facility to meet the planned commercial scalability needs for a 3.5-ton demonstration plant in Saguenay, Quebec, followed by a commercial-scale capacity of 40 tons per year, addressing an estimated five to ten percent of global gallium supply.
Improving Supply Chain Diversification
With gallium becoming increasingly crucial in advanced and clean technologies, the collaboration between Indium Corporation and Rio Tinto will greatly improve supply chain diversification and global availability.
Long-Standing Goal of Materials Research
The project is consistent with both organizations’ goals of fostering innovation and making a meaningful effect on industries around the world.
This achievement is also consistent with Indium Corporation’s long-standing aim of developing materials research for the benefit of industries and economies globally.
Sustainable Supply of Critical Mineral
Gallium, a crucial mineral utilized in technologies including semiconductors, integrated circuits, high-performance radar, cellphones, electric vehicles, and laptop computers, is now produced in limited amounts around the world.
This collaboration is working to provide a consistent and sustainable supply of this critical mineral to meet the growing worldwide demand for sophisticated technology.
Leadership Comments
“This milestone is a major step forward in our joint efforts to create a new and robust supply of gallium,” said Ross Berntson, President and CEO of Indium Corporation. “At Indium Corporation, we believe that materials science changes the world. Through this collaboration, we have demonstrated the viability of gallium extraction and laid the groundwork for commercial production to benefit industries worldwide.”
Jérôme Pécresse, Chief Executive, Rio?Tinto Aluminium, added, “We are very proud to announce this significant milestone in our important research and development project to extract and valorize gallium from our aluminum operations in Quebec. Together, through this innovative partnership, Rio Tinto and Indium Corporation strive to strengthen the North American supply chain for gallium, a critical and strategic mineral.”
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