News Article
5N Plus and Rio Tinto unite to recover gallium
In light of anticipated strong growth in the demand for gallium, the new source will enable the companies to strengthen their supply chains.
5N Plus, a producer of metal and chemical products used in compound semiconductor manufacturing, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Rio Tinto Alcan, a provider ofaluminium.
This MOU will allow 5N Plus and Rio Tinto to pursue discussions regarding a project to recover gallium from an alumina production stream at Rio Tinto Alcan's Vaudreuil alumina facility, Quebec.
Jacques L’Écuyer, President and Chief Executive Officer of 5N Plus said, "We are very pleased with the scope of our discussions with Rio Tinto, and have good reason to believe that we will shortly be in a position to develop a new primary source of gallium. In light of anticipated strong growth in the demand for gallium, this new source will enable us to both strengthen our supply chain and forge a strategic partnership with Rio Tinto.”
5N Plus deploys a range of proprietary technologies to produce products which are used in a number of advanced pharmaceutical, electronic and industrial applications. Typical products include purified metals such as bismuth, gallium, germanium, indium, selenium and tellurium, inorganic chemicals based on such metals and compound semiconductor wafers. Many of these are critical precursors and key enablers in markets such as solar, LEDs and eco‐friendly materials.
