Rio Tinto to increase scandium production in Quebec

UK-Australian mining company Rio Tinto will use part of a large joint investment programme with the Canadian government to quadruple scandium oxide production at its Rio Tinto Fer et Titane (RTFT) metallurgical complex in southwestern Quebec.

Some 16 months after launching production of 99.99pc scandium oxide, Rio Tinto plans to increase capacity from the current 3 t/yr to 12 t/yr, enough to supply over 50pc of estimated current demand. The capacity expansion is expected to cost $22mn-26mn and come on line in 2024.

Rio Tinto is the first North American producer of critical metal scandium, which has been used for decades in niche electronics and defence aerospace applications, and more recently in solid oxide fuel cells for clean energy generation. But the largest potential growth area is lightweight scandium-aluminium alloys for commercial aerospace and automotive.

Rio Tinto extracts the scandium from waste streams from titanium dioxide production at RTFT, which processes ore from its Havre-Saint-Pierre ilmenite mining complex in the east of the province to produce titanium dioxide feedstock, pig iron, steel and ferrous powders.

Titanium metal

Rio Tinto is working with other titanium industry participants to advance the development of a new process for extracting and refining titanium metal.

It is setting up a pilot plant at RTFT to test the process, which it says is low cost and does not use harmful chemicals or generate direct greenhouse gas emissions. The plant is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

And in May it launched another project to extract a critical mineral from existing by-product streams with the start of tellurium production at its Kennecott copper mine and refinery in Salt Lake City Utah. The plant will provide 20 t/yr of tellurium from the new $2.9mn circuit and provide a key supply source for cadmium tellurium thin-film solar module production in North America along with medical, defence and semiconductor applications.

Public-private investment

Rio Tinto is partnering with the Canadian government to invest up to C$737mn ($537mn) over the next eight years to develop and implement technologies to decarbonise its operations at RTFT, and expand its capacity and portfolio of critical mineral products for key growth sectors such as electric vehicles, 3D printing and aerospace.

A demonstration plant is under construction at RTFT to test a new ilmenite smelting technology that has the potential to enable a 70pc cut in greenhouse gas emissions to produce high-grade titanium dioxide, steel and metal powders with a substantially reduced carbon footprint. The plant will be able to process up to 40,000 t/yr of ilmenite ore and is slated for completion in the first half of next year.

"Our government is committed to the sustainable development of critical minerals resources, creating good jobs, and building strong global supply chains while strengthening trade relationships with Canada's closest allies," Canadian minister for innovation, science and industry Francois-Philippe Champagne said.

By Caroline Messecar