Gallium
Mount Ridley Mines files second Selectro patent to target industrial metals recovery
Australia’s Mount Ridley Mines is expanding its Selectro processing technology beyond critical minerals, with a second provisional patent application targeting industrial feedstocks such as bauxite and potentially opening new licensing and partnership opportunities. Mount Ridley Mines Ltd (ASX: MRD) has lodged a second provisional patent application for its proprietary Selectro hydrometallurgical technology, seeking to protect an adapted version of the process designed to recover metals from industrial feedstocks. Filed on October 15 2026, with IP Australia through its wholly owned subsidiary, Mount Ridley Tech, the application follows the company's initial Selectro patent filing in August 2026. The new application covers an adaptation of the technology in which the reagent molecule has...
Civmec adds A$220m in contracts, expands work with Alcoa at Wagerup refinery
Civmec Limited has secured new contracts and extensions worth more than AUD 220 million (USD 153 million), including a construction contract for a gallium production plant at Alcoa’s Wagerup Alumina Refinery in Western Australia. The contracts are expected to be delivered across FY27 and FY28. The awards take Civmec’s order book to about AUD 1.5 billion (USD 1 billion). Civmec to build gallium plant at Wagerup Civmec will build the gallium production plant at Alcoa’s Wagerup Alumina Refinery. The project received a final investment decision in July 2026. Construction started in August following a groundbreaking ceremony. Civmec will carry out civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation works for the plant. The work also includes the process building, tanks,...
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15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
ICSOBA 2026 - 44th International Conference and Exhibition
SMM AICE 2026 Southeast Asia Aluminum Conference
15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
ICSOBA 2026 - 44th International Conference and Exhibition
SMM AICE 2026 Southeast Asia Aluminum Conference
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
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News
Gallium, germanium in automotive electronics: Study maps Europe’s critical-mineral recycling edge
As electronics occupy a larger share of the backbone of automotive industry, Europe’s reliance on imported critical minerals is drawing greater attention. A recent bachelor’s thesis from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg has explored the recycling potential of two strategic materials, viz., gallium and germanium, within automotive electronics, particularly in Electronic Control Units (ECUs), which control functions ranging from powertrain systems and safety technologies to battery management in electric vehicles. Although recycling rates for both metals remain negligible today, the study suggests that industrial waste streams, semiconductor scrap and future end-of-life electronics could become important secondary sources if recovery infrastructure develops in time. To learn...
Alcoa to build 100t gallium facility at Wagerup alumina refinery with $174m Pentagon support
The Pentagon has announced a USD 174 million financing package for the aluminium producer Alcoa to set up a gallium production facility at its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia, bringing critical mineral production into the refinery’s operations. The new facility is expected to produce approximately 100 tonnes of gallium metal annually. Construction began last month, marking a significant step towards expanding production of the critical metal and strengthening supply capabilities. The initiative is a multinational partnership with Export Finance Australia (EFA), the Government of Japan, and Sojitz Corporation. To learn about the market potential of aluminium dross, explore " ALuminium Dross Processing: Generation, Recovery & Strategic Roadmap " Gallium is not generally mined...
Alurion begins PFS field programme at Amargosa bauxite-gallium project
Alurion Resources has started infill drilling and bulk-sample trenching at its Amargosa Bauxite-Gallium Project in Bahia, Brazil, as the newly listed company advances the asset toward a targeted mid-2027 pre-feasibility study. The field programme marks a shift from defining the project’s resource base to gathering the technical, metallurgical and logistics data needed to assess a potential direct-shipping bauxite operation. Alurion is also holding preliminary, non-binding discussions with alumina and aluminium groups in Brazil, China and the Middle East on possible offtake and partnership opportunities. Drilling targets PFS resource upgrade The programme includes 203 auger drill holes for 2,436 metres, 20 diamond twin holes for 800 metres and up to 16 bulk-sample trenches across the...
Alcoa breaks ground on gallium plant targeting 10% of global demand
Alcoa and the governments of Australia, Japan and the United States have begun construction of a gallium production plant at Alcoa’s Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia, targeting output equivalent to about 10 per cent of global gallium demand. The facility is expected to produce 100 tonnes of gallium annually and will be constructed and operated by Alcoa. It represents a joint effort to establish a new allied source of the critical mineral for semiconductors, advanced electronics and defence applications. From alumina refinery to gallium source The plant will be co-located with Alcoa’s Wagerup refinery, about 120 kilometres southeast of Perth. Rather than requiring a new mine, the operation will recover gallium from bauxite already processed to produce alumina, the feedstock...
Alcoa and US Department of Energy to explore critical mineral recovery from bauxite residue in Arkansas
The US Department of Energy and Alcoa are teaming up on a pilot project in Saline County, Arkansas, to recover critical minerals from mining waste left behind by earlier bauxite operations. The project is part of USD 162 million in DOE selections for nine private-sector projects aimed at recovering critical minerals and other valuable materials from industrial and mining byproducts. Alcoa has not mined bauxite in the area for decades. However, the company says residue from earlier mining operations may contain rare earth elements and other critical minerals that have been difficult to recover. Alcoa plans to test a microwave-based technology developed to extract these materials from the existing residue. DOE Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson said, “We think their technology can unlock...
METLEN signs first major US gallium supply deal, strengthening Europe's aluminium value chain
Europe's efforts to reduce its dependence on imported critical minerals gathered momentum after METLEN Energy & Metals signed a long-term agreement to supply a leading US technology company with approximately 25 per cent of the annual gallium output expected from its planned production facility in Greece. The agreement also highlights the growing strategic importance of Europe's aluminium value chain. Gallium is commercially recovered during alumina refining from bauxite rather than mined directly, making integrated aluminium operations central to global gallium supply. According to METLEN, the agreement is the first major commercial gallium supply deal between a European producer and a US technology company. Europe looks beyond China for gallium The deal comes as European countries...
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