Diversified major Rio Tinto and partner Indium have successfully extracted the first primary gallium from bauxite processed at the Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Quebec as part of a research and development (R&D) initiative to unlock commercial quantities of the critical mineral.

The initial extraction was completed at Indium’s R&D facility in Rome, New York. The project now moves into a pilot phase to assess extraction techniques for producing larger volumes of gallium.

If successful, Rio Tinto plans to construct a demonstration plant at Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec, with financial backing from the provincial government. The plant could produce up to 3.5 t/y of gallium, with the potential to scale up to 40 t/y – equivalent to between 5% and 10% of current global gallium production.

Gallium is considered a strategic mineral, critical to the manufacture of integrated circuits for high-performance radar systems, smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles. Global production is limited, with about 600 t/y currently produced, none of which originates from North America.

Rio Tinto Aluminium CEO Jérôme Pécresse described the development as a "significant milestone" in its quest to extract gallium from its aluminium operations in Quebec. "Together, through this innovative partnership, Rio Tinto and Indium Corporation strive to strengthen the North American supply chain for gallium, a critical and strategic mineral," he said.

Indium president and CEO Ross Berntson added: “This achievement is a major milestone, reflecting our dedication to global industrial needs by ensuring a sustainable supply of gallium. Our joint efforts are positioning North America as a leader in critical material production.”

Rio Tinto already produces a range of critical minerals at its North American operations, including scandium, tellurium, lithium and molybdenum, in addition to aluminium, copper, iron-ore and titanium dioxide. 

Further R&D work is under way to assess opportunities to extract additional critical minerals from existing operations.