Rio Tinto (ASX, NYSE: RIO) said on Friday it is assessing the potential for extracting and valorising gallium, a critical and strategic mineral already present in the bauxite processed in its alumina refinery in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in Quebec, the only one in Canada.
When the preliminary phase of technology development is conclusive, Rio said it plans to build a demonstration plant in Saguenay for extraction technology that can produce up to 3.5 tonnes of gallium per year.
The Government of Quebec has committed up to C$7 million ($4.9m) for the demonstration phase. Eventually, the extraction potential of a commercial-scale plant could reach 40 tonnes annually, representing between 5 and 10% of current world gallium production, Rio said.
Primary gallium is used in key sectors, including the manufacture of integrated circuits, which are of vital importance in many new technologies such as high-performance radar, smartphones, electric cars and laptops.
It is also a material on the export ban list to the United States that China’s Ministry of Commerce announced last week.
‘‘This new research and development project is destined to help strengthen the North American supply chain for critical and strategic minerals,” Jérôme Pécresse, chief executive, Rio Tinto Aluminium, said in the statement.
“As many important steps are yet to be achieved, Rio Tinto is strongly involved in this important journey and thanks the Government of Quebec for its important contribution.’’
Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Quebec’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry said the project promotes the acquisition of cutting-edge knowledge in the transformation of gallium.
“Today’s announcement is directly in line with our government’s vision of a circular economy, wealth creation in a greener economy, and Quebec’s influence as a world leader in critical and strategic minerals,” she said.
