Rio Tinto is partnering with the Government of Canada to invest
up to C$737 million (US$537 million) over the next eight years to
decarbonise its Rio Tinto Fer et Titane (RTFT) operations in
Sorel-Tracy, Québec, and to position the business as a centre of
excellence for critical minerals processing.
The partnership will support technological innovations that
represent a first step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions
from RTFT’s titanium dioxide, steel and metal powders business by
up to 70%. It will also progress initiatives to diversify RTFT’s
product portfolio, reinforcing Rio Tinto’s leadership as a North
American supplier of critical minerals for key growth sectors such
as electric vehicles, 3D printing and aerospace.
The Government of Canada is investing up to C$222 million
(US$162 million) over the next eight years to support these
initiatives through its Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), which
supports large-scale, transformative, and collaborative projects
that will help position Canada to prosper in the global
knowledge-based economy.
Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said: “Rio Tinto is
committed to being part of a net-zero future, from decarbonising
our operations to finding new ways to produce the materials needed
for the transition. We are excited to collaborate with the
Government of Canada to position RTFT for the future and strengthen
the critical minerals and metals value chains in Canada and the
United States.”
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada,
said: “Good middle-class jobs, clean air, and made-in-Canada tech:
this is our vision for a strong economy and a strong future.
Today’s announcement is about delivering on that vision and
positioning Canada as a leader in critical minerals – a key part of
things like electric vehicles. Together, we will continue to
innovate, create good jobs, and keep our air clean.”
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of
Innovation, Science and Industry, said: “Supporting the growth of
Canada’s critical minerals supply chain will ensure that our
country remains a global leader in this strategic sector. 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.”
The partnership will support projects including:
BlueSmelting
The BlueSmelting project is an ilmenite smelting technology that
could generate 95% less greenhouse gas emissions than RTFT’s
current reduction process, enabling the production of high-grade
titanium dioxide feedstock, steel and metal powders with a
drastically reduced carbon footprint.
A demonstration plant is currently under construction at the
RTFT metallurgical complex in Sorel-Tracy to test and validate this
technology developed by scientists from Rio Tinto’s Critical
Minerals and Technology Centre. Construction of the demonstration
plant, which will have a capacity to process up to 40,000 tonnes of
ilmenite ore per annum, is expected to be completed in the first
half of 2023.
If fully implemented, the BlueSmelting project has the potential
to deliver a reduction of up to 70% in RTFT’s overall greenhouse
gas emissions, a decrease of approximately 670,000 tCO2e based on
2021 emissions or the equivalent to removing 145,000 cars from the
road.
Increasing scandium production
After becoming the first North American producer of scandium, a
critical mineral used in solid oxide fuel cells and aluminium
alloys, earlier this year, Rio Tinto is planning to quadruple its
production capacity to reach up to 12 tonnes of scandium oxide per
year, from the current nameplate capacity of three tonnes.
New modules will be added to the existing plant, which uses an
innovative process to extract high purity scandium oxide from the
waste streams of titanium dioxide production, without the need for
any additional mining. The C$30-35 million (US$22-26 million)
project is expected to start producing scandium oxide in 2024.
Adding titanium metal to the portfolio
Rio Tinto is partnering with other titanium industry
participants to advance the development of a new process for
extracting and refining titanium metal, a high-performance material
used in the medical, aerospace, and automotive industries.
Rio Tinto is setting up a pilot plant at the RTFT metallurgical
complex to validate this low-cost process which requires no harmful
chemicals and does not generate direct greenhouse gas emissions.
The plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
This project has the potential to greatly increase the
production of raw titanium metal in North America, while
strengthening the security of supply for this critical mineral for
Canadian and U.S. manufacturers.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221011006018/en/
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