The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News – August 16, 2023
NioCorp and Nanoscale have produced scandium metal at pilot-scale, which is the initial step to commercial production of scandium-aluminum master alloy in Nebraska.
The need for durable and lightweight alloys for electric vehicles, mass transit systems, military hardware, and aerospace is driving increasing interest in establishing commercial production of aluminum-scandium master alloy in the United States.
NioCorp Developments Ltd.'s Elk Creek deposit in Nebraska offers an important domestic source of the critical metal scandium, and the company has taken the first steps towards turning this critical metal into an increasingly important aluminum-scandium master alloy.
"The progress being made in this phased commercialization effort is important given the rapidly growing interest in scandium alloys across both the commercial transportation sector and in the national defense community," said NioCorp Developments Executive Chairman and CEO Mark Smith.
As a preliminary step in producing alloy, NioCorp and its development partner Nanoscale Powders LLC have produced scandium metal at pilot-scale at a facility in Pennsylvania owned and operated by Creative Engineers.
"This successful test demonstrates that we can make scandium metal at a high-enough purity level to proceed directly to the pilot-scale production of kilogram-sized samples of aluminum-scandium master alloy," said Smith.
The first kilogram-sized aluminum-scandium master alloy ingots for independent testing and commercial product samples are expected in the coming weeks.
NioCorp says it is in commercial talks with automakers interested in leveraging the advantages of aluminum-scandium alloys to reduce weight and improve the performance of EVs and other vehicles.
In addition to automakers, NioCorp's plans to establish a domestic supply of scandium metal and alloys has drawn the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill seeking to steer America's dependence away from China and Russia for these materials critical to the nation's defense.
In a recent report, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee said it "recognizes that China is a major producer of high-purity scandium oxide, which has many powerful applications in defense technologies, including strengthening and light-weighting defense and commercial aviation systems."
The committee went on to say it "recognizes that the United States may soon become a major producer of high-purity scandium oxide by virtue of a proposed mine and mineral processing plant in Nebraska."
Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer and Congressman Don Bacon, which sit on the Senate and House Armed Service committees, respectively, secured $10 million in federal funding to support commercial production of aluminum-scandium master alloy production in the U.S.
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees also approved legislation that directs the Pentagon to more actively support efforts to develop domestic production of scandium, aluminum-scandium alloy, niobium, titanium, rare earths, and other critical minerals.
NioCorp's overall goal is to scale up to commercial production of aluminum-scandium master alloy at about the same time that mining begins at Elk Creek, a southeastern Nebraska project also enriched with niobium, titanium, and rare earths – all of which are considered critical to the U.S.
According to a 2022 calculation, Elk Creek hosts 632,900 metric tons of total rare earth oxides, 970,300 metric tons of niobium oxide, along with 11,337 metric tons of scandium oxide, and 4.2 million metric tons of titanium oxide in the indicated resource category.
Under the current mine plan, Elk Creek is slated to produce roughly 100 metric tons of scandium oxide per year, which NioCorp plans to turn into aluminum-scandium alloy that contains between 2% and 10% scandium.
NioCorp and Nanoscale have a three-phased plan for commercial-scale aluminum-scandium alloy production in Nebraska:
• Pilot-scale batch production of 10-kilogram (22 pounds) master alloy ingots for lab analysis and testing by prospective customers.
• Commercial demonstration production of 100 kg (220 lb) ingots to optimize the production process and operating conditions.
• Full-scale commercial production of master alloy with the capacity to consume up to approximately 100 metric tons of scandium produced at Elk Creek each year.
The plan is to build the full-scale alloy facility alongside the coming mine at Elk Creek, which will provide the plant with low-cost power, water, and natural gas infrastructure established for mining operations.
NioCorp and Nanoscale also plan to develop recycling approaches for scrap alloy.
"Through the Elk Creek Project, once sufficient project funding is obtained, Nebraska may very well become a leading scandium producer and could be in a position to help the U.S. Armed Forces take full advantage of the revolutionary performance benefits that scandium can deliver to air-, land-, and sea-based systems," Smith said.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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