On Wednesday (May 7) local time, mining giant Rio Tinto announced that it had successfully extracted primary gallium metal for the first time in collaboration with US-based Indium Corporation, with both parties working towards the commercial production of this critical rare metal in the future.
Rio Tinto stated that the initial extraction of gallium was carried out at Indium's R&D facility in New York, and the next phase will involve evaluating technologies capable of producing larger quantities of gallium on a pilot scale.
If Rio Tinto successfully achieves commercial-scale production of gallium at its refinery in Quebec, Canada, the estimated annual production capacity is expected to reach 40 mt, accounting for approximately 5% to 10% of the current global total production.
"Rio Tinto and Indium Corporation are committed to enhancing the resilience of the North American gallium metal supply chain," said Jérôme Pécresse, CEO of Rio Tinto Aluminium, in a statement.
Gallium is a rare metal widely used in the manufacturing of semiconductors, smartphones, and EVs.
In December last year, China announced a ban on the export of critical metals, including gallium, to the US, in response to the US's chip control measures against China.
China is the world's largest producer of antimony, germanium, and gallium, with these rare metals playing a crucial role in clean energy, chip manufacturing, and defense, among other sectors. Gallium, germanium, and antimony are all among the 50 critical minerals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Data shows that from 2019 to 2022, the US imported nearly all of its gallium and about half of its germanium. China was one of the primary sources of these minerals for the US.
In December last year, Rio Tinto announced that it was considering gallium production in Canada and planned to build a demonstration plant with an annual production capacity of 3.5 mt. The Quebec provincial government pledged to provide CAD 7 million (approximately USD 4.9 million) in funding support for this demonstration plant.
According to Rio Tinto, these gallium products will be derived from bauxite processed at its alumina refinery in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.
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