Rio Tinto extracts first gallium in Quebec

The effort to develop domestic supply comes as China, the dominant producer, added gallium to its export restrictions to the United States last year.

Rio Tinto (NYSE, LSE, ASX: RIO) has produced its first primary gallium from bauxite processed in Quebec, marking a key milestone in its partnership with Indium Corp. of central New York state to develop North America’s supply of the critical mineral.

The gallium was recovered from material produced at Rio Tinto’s alumina refinery, the only one in Canada, located in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, about 200 km northwest of Quebec City. The initial extraction was carried out at Indium’s research and development lab in Rome, NY, which is near its headquarters in Clinton.

Used in semiconductors and integrated circuits, gallium is critical to technologies such as radar systems, smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles.

Pilot stage

The companies are now entering a pilot stage to assess gallium extraction techniques at a larger scale. If successful, Rio Tinto plans to build a demonstration plant in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean with financial support from Quebec. The province has committed up to $7 million. The proposed plant would have the capacity to produce up to 3.5 tonnes of gallium a year.

According to Rio Tinto, a future commercial-scale facility could eventually yield up to 40 tonnes annually, equivalent to 5–10% of current global output. Global gallium production is limited to about 600 tonnes per year and occurs entirely outside North America.

The effort to develop domestic supply comes as China, the dominant producer, added gallium to its export restrictions to the United States last year.