Rio Tinto and Indium Corporation have successfully extracted the first primary gallium from bauxite processed at Rio’s Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Quebec, Canada.
The milestone was completed at Indium Corporation’s research and development facility in Rome, New York, as part of a broader collaboration to unlock gallium from alumina refining by products.
The research and development (R&D) project aimed to produce commercial quantities of gallium, which is considered a critical mineral in Australia due to its use in technologies such as high-performance radar, electric vehicles, smartphones and laptops.
“This achievement is a major milestone, reflecting our dedication to global industrial needs by ensuring a sustainable supply of gallium,” Indium Corporation president and chief executive officer (CEO) Ross Berntson said.
“Our joint efforts are positioning North America as a leader in critical material production.”
Global gallium production is limited to around 600 tonnes (t) per year, all from outside North America.
The next phase of the R&D project involves the assessment of extraction techniques to enable the production of larger quantities of gallium at pilot-scale.
If viable, Rio Tinto plans to construct a demonstration plant in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, backed by the Government of Quebec, with the potential to produce up to 3.5t of gallium per year.
Commercial-scale operations could expand this to 40t annually, an amount accounting for up to 10 per cent of global supply.
“We are very proud to announce this significant milestone in our important research and development project to extract gallium from our aluminium operations in Quebec,” Rio Tinto CEO aluminium Jérôme Pécresse said.
“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.”
Rio Tinto continues to expand its critical minerals portfolio across North America, with existing production of scandium, tellurium, lithium and molybdenum, and ongoing research to extract further materials from its current operations.