IperionX’s goal of completing the cycle for titanium may be realised under an agreement with Aperam Recycling’s subsidiary ELG Utica Alloys to create a low-carbon 100% recycled titanium supply chain.

Aperam (AMS: APAM) is a ~A$4b company listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Paris, controlled by Lakshmi Mittal, Executive Chairman of ArcelorMittal, the second largest steel producer in the world.

Under the agreement, ELG will supply clean titanium scrap metal that IperionX will process using its patented technologies to produce low-carbon titanium metal for a more sustainable and fully circular supply chain.

The start date for the agreement aligns with expected first production from IperionX’s (ASX:IPX) planned 125 tonne per annum Titanium Demonstration Facility in Virginia in the first quarter of 2024.

This is particularly relevant in the US, which is the largest consumer of high-quality titanium in the world but does not have production of its own and has to source the metal over long distances from high carbon supply chains with traceability issues.

IperionX controls the only known commercial process that can utilize 100% titanium scrap to produce high quality finished titanium metal. Higher levels of titanium recycling can reduce costs, lower carbon emissions and mitigate supply chain shortages.

“We are pleased to partner with ELG to advance a more sustainable 100% recycled US titanium supply chain,” chief executive officer Anastasios Arima said.

“This agreement with ELG provides the potential to unlock a secure, long term supply of scrap titanium feedstock to create value for our customers with a lower cost, low-carbon, titanium supply chain for advanced American manufacturing.”

ELG Utica Alloys chief executive officer Carsten Becker added that the agreement further grows the circular economy for titanium in the US.

“This agreement with IperionX enables us to ensure that even more titanium material is recycled and stays in a closed loop, overall reducing carbon emissions and further driving Aperam’s sustainability efforts.”

Proven technology

Titanium metal powder produced using IperionX’s Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction (HAMR) technology has already achieved UL Environmental Claim Validation Procedure 2809.

This makes it the first commercial titanium metal powder for additive manufacturing to achieve validation from UL – a global leader in sustainability standards – for 100% recycled content.

HAMR can also use 100% scrap titanium as feedstock to produce the titanium powders with zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Additionally, a life cycle assessment confirmed that the company’s titanium has the potential to have lowest quantified lifecycle carbon footprint for commercial titanium powder of just 7.8g of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for every 1kg produced, over 90% lower than competing titanium powders produced from plasma atomisation.

Plans are already in place to expand the planned TDF into the Titanium Commercial Facility (TCF-1) with production capacity of 1,125tpa in 2025, which will make it one of the world’s largest producers of titanium metal powders, and the only producer using 100% titanium scrap metal as a feedstock.

 

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with IperionX, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

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