Aug 12, 2026, 10:29 ET Metallium Reports Successful Testing of its Proprietary Flash Joule Heating Technology on Rare Earth Elements, Germanium, PGMs and Red Mud/Gallium Advances Multiple Commercial Opportunities Metallium Limited (ASX: MTM; OTCQX: MTMCF; OTCQX ADR: MTMLY) reported results from a series of tests to demonstrate application of its proprietary...
Original announcement by prnewswire on
- Company
- Metallium Limited
- Ticker
- MTM
- Exchange
- Unavailable
- Region
- Texas
- Primary commodity
- Rare earth elements
- Secondary commodities
- Germanium, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gallium, Aluminum, Iron ore, Silicon
- Document categories
- Metallurgy
- Extracted
- 2026-08-20 06:36:42 UTC
Analysis by Minestarters Atlas
Minestarters Atlas analysis
Summary
Metallium reported successful testing of its proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology on various feedstocks, including rare earth ores, germanium-bearing waste, and spent catalytic converters. The tests demonstrated significant enrichment capabilities, such as 280x germanium enrichment and the ability to convert raw REE ore into a high-purity chloride product.
Reasoning: The company demonstrated high-value recovery and enrichment across a diverse range of critical metal feedstocks using its proprietary FJH technology.
Positive factors
- Successful demonstration of proprietary technology across multiple distinct feedstocks
- Significant enrichment factors reported for germanium and REE
- High selectivity in red mud processing (99% Fe removal)
- Single-cycle PGM recovery from catalytic converters
Negative factors
- Testing results are described as 'unoptimized'
- Technology is proprietary and likely at a bench or pilot scale rather than commercial scale
Facts used in scoring: 9
Classification and evidence
Mill Routeneutral
Processing via mill or concentrator (CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation).
Why it applies: The technology involves processing mineral concentrates and waste streams through a proprietary heating process.
Evidence · text
“recovering critical and precious metals from mineral concentrates and high-grade waste streams”
Extracted facts
Stored fact records: 9. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record.
Metallurgical Results (9)
Fact 1rare earth elementsRecovery: 83 %Head Grade: 12Head Grade Unit: % TREOView all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- rare earth elements
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- raw, unbeneficiated REE ore
Recovery
- Recovery
- 83 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
- Head Grade
- 12
- Head Grade Unit
- % TREO
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- converted into a more than 83 wt% mixed REE chloride product; achieved more than 4x enrichment of NdPr in an initial unoptimized test
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Significant enrichment from raw ore to a high-purity chloride product.
Positive factors
- High enrichment of NdPr
- Direct conversion to high-purity chloride
Negative factors
- Unoptimized test
Evidence · text
“Successfully converting raw, unbeneficiated REE ore containing approximately 12% TREO directly into a more than 83 wt% mixed REE chloride product”
Fact 2germaniumRecovery: 280 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- germanium
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- germanium-bearing industrial wastes
Recovery
- Recovery
- 280 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- enrichment factors: 280x from zinc smelter waste, 240x from semiconductor manufacturing waste and 35x from defense-related industrial waste
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Demonstrated massive enrichment potential across multiple waste streams.
Positive factors
- Extremely high enrichment factors
Evidence · text
“Successfully enriching germanium by up to 280x from zinc smelter waste, 240x from semiconductor manufacturing waste and 35x from defense-related industrial waste”
Fact 3platinumRecovery: 60 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- platinum
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- spent automotive catalytic converters
Recovery
- Recovery
- 60 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- produced a more than 60% purity PGM-rich product containing platinum, palladium and rhodium in a single, unoptimized treatment cycle
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Demonstrated ability to produce a PGM-rich product in a single step.
Positive factors
- Single treatment cycle
- Simplified recycling pathway
Negative factors
- Unoptimized cycle
Evidence · text
“Successfully produced a more than 60% purity PGM-rich product containing platinum, palladium and rhodium from spent automotive catalytic converters in a single, unoptimized treatment cycle”
Fact 4palladiumRecovery: 60 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- palladium
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- spent automotive catalytic converters
Recovery
- Recovery
- 60 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- produced a more than 60% purity PGM-rich product containing platinum, palladium and rhodium in a single, unoptimized treatment cycle
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Part of the PGM-rich product recovery.
Positive factors
- Single treatment cycle
Evidence · text
“Successfully produced a more than 60% purity PGM-rich product containing platinum, palladium and rhodium”
Fact 5rhodiumRecovery: 60 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- rhodium
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- spent automotive catalytic converters
Recovery
- Recovery
- 60 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- produced a more than 60% purity PGM-rich product containing platinum, palladium and rhodium in a single, unoptimized treatment cycle
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Part of the PGM-rich product recovery.
Positive factors
- Single treatment cycle
Evidence · text
“Successfully produced a more than 60% purity PGM-rich product containing platinum, palladium and rhodium”
Fact 6iron_oreRecovery: 99 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- iron_ore
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- red mud
Recovery
- Recovery
- 99 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- testing removed approximately 99% of iron and 94% of silicon while retaining approximately 95% of aluminum
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: High selectivity in removing iron from red mud.
Positive factors
- Extremely high removal efficiency of iron
Evidence · text
“testing removed approximately 99% of iron and 94% of silicon while retaining approximately 95% of aluminum”
Fact 7siliconRecovery: 94 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- silicon
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- red mud
Recovery
- Recovery
- 94 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- testing removed approximately 99% of iron and 94% of silicon while retaining approximately 95% of aluminum
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: High selectivity in removing silicon from red mud.
Positive factors
- High removal efficiency of silicon
Evidence · text
“testing removed approximately 99% of iron and 94% of silicon”
Fact 8aluminumRecovery: 95 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- aluminum
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- red mud
Recovery
- Recovery
- 95 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- testing removed approximately 99% of iron and 94% of silicon while retaining approximately 95% of aluminum
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: High selectivity in retaining aluminum while removing impurities.
Positive factors
- High retention of aluminum
Evidence · text
“retaining approximately 95% of aluminum”
Fact 9galliumView all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- gallium
- Ticker
- MTM
Test Work
- Sample
- red mud
Recovery
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- gallium concentrated into a separate product stream
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Demonstrated ability to concentrate gallium from red mud.
Positive factors
- Successful concentration into a separate stream
Evidence · text
“gallium concentrated into a separate product stream”
How Atlas produces this analysis
Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.