Metals firm Terrafame is studying starting producing scandium, a material used in sectors including defense, from its existing uranium operation in Finland, as Europe seeks to secure supplies of critical minerals.
The company, backed by trading house Trafigura Group, has begun a pre-feasibility study to assess obtaining the rare earth metal using a side stream at its uranium recovery plant, it said in a statement on Tuesday. Starting production would make Terrafame Europe’s sole producer of scandium, it said.
Rare earths are among the most critical raw materials on the planet — used in everything from iPhones and cars to data centers and MRI machines — and have been caught up in geopolitical tensions between the West and China, which maintains a chokehold over supplies. Scandium was one of the rare earths that Beijing last year restricted exports of in retaliation to US tariffs.
Terrafame said that about 85% of global scandium supply comes from China. The company said the targeted end-use for the scandium produced would be in high-performance aluminum alloys, where its properties allow lighter, stronger, and more durable components. It will also approach potential customers and look at opportunities regarding national strategic stockpiling initiatives.
“By exploring the recovery of scandium from Terrafame’s existing ore feed, we are utilizing the full value of our resources, while also addressing the need for domestic European supply of this critical metal,” Terrafame chief executive officer Antti Koulumies said in the statement.
Terrafame expects to complete the study by year-end and targets a final investment decision early 2027, with production then estimated to start after two years.
Source: mining.com
Additive Manufacturing, which is reported in business area Machining, manufactures metal powders used in areas such as additive manufacturing, metal injection molding and hot isostatic pressing, as well as controlled expansion alloys for specialized industrial applications.
Saint-Gobain S.A. has completed the sale of HKO in Germany and its arm in France Deltec – its business manufacturing technical textile components for high-temperature insulation mainly for automotive and industrial applications – to a fund managed by DUBAG Group.
Veolia has completed the financial close of its acquisition of Clean Earth, a hazardous waste management firm operating in a sector that has become increasingly critical for industrial competitiveness, public health and environmental security in the United States and worldwide.
