Rusal is creating an experimental production of scandium oxide with a capacity of 1.5 tons per year. The launch of the project is scheduled for the end of 2025, investments in new production will amount to about 500 million rubles.

Scandium is a rare earth metal (REM) in high demand in the production of fuel cells, aluminum alloys and 3D printing. 20-25 tons of this metal are produced annually in the world, and the launch of a new site will make Rusal one of the largest producers of it.

The new project will be the world’s first example of industrial production of scandium oxide from alumina production waste. The technology was developed by Rusal’s engineering center, and the equipment was also created internally.

KRISTALL OF GROWTH previously cited the statement by the Head of the Russian State that rare earth metals are a strategic resource of Russia, as well as Alexander Galushka’s opinion that “Technology is a central characteristic of economic development.”