Rio Tinto extracts first primary gallium from alumina refining process

Rio Tinto (RIO) and its new partner Indium Corporation have successfully extracted the first primary gallium as part of a research and development project, which ultimately aims to produce commercial quantities of the critical and strategic mineral present in the bauxite processed in Rio Tinto’s Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Quebec, the only one in Canada. The next phase of the project involves the assessment of extraction techniques to enable the production of larger quantities of gallium at pilot-scale. If successful, Rio Tinto plans to build a demonstration plant in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, financially supported by the government of Quebec, with a capacity of up to 3.5 tons of gallium per year. The transition to a commercial-scale plant could see production reach 40 tonnes annually, representing between 5 and 10% of current world gallium production.