MTM on track for commercial launch of Flash Joule Heating tech with validation of production unit

• MTM validates its production-scale reaction chamber
• This means commercial readiness of the 1TPD FJH recovery plant has been demonstrated
• Procurement activities are underway, with on-site works scheduled to begin in Q3

Special report: The production-scale reaction chamber for MTM’s proprietary Flash Joule Heating process has been validated, establishing its readiness for commercial deployment and supporting increased throughput capacity from initial operations.

The reaction chamber or ‘crucible’ forms part of MTM’s proprietary, patent-backed Flash Joule Heating (FJH) process, which was developed by leading researchers at Houston’s Rice University.

It is exclusively licensed to MTM for all metal recovery and mineral processing applications and combines rapid electrical heating with targeted chemistry to unlock critical and precious metals from various feedstocks.

MTM Critical Metals (ASX:MTM) said the reaction chamber demonstrated consistent and uniform heat transfer under representative conditions at the company’s FJH metal recovery plant in Texas, validating its performance at full scale.

As well as materially de-risking the modular scale-up strategy, the results indicate that each crucible may outperform initial assumptions, suggesting the overall one tonne per day plant – comprising multiple such units – could deliver significantly higher throughput than originally planned.

MTM’s processing facility in Texas

The company’s processing facility is a fully permitted five-hectare site in Chambers County, Texas.

With validation of the full-scale design and a scalable site in place, MTM is poised to expand well beyond the initial 1tpd target, all while maintaining the integrity of its core FJH process.

FJH uses the flash heating of a metal or ore via an electrical current that temporarily heats up the conductor to temperature beyond 3000 degrees Kelvin, vaporising the target metals as chlorides in seconds, then collecting the vapours for refining.

MTM formed a partnership with specialty tech metals supplier Indium Corporation last year to reduce US reliance on foreign metal sources by creating a local processing solution.

The company’s plan is to process gallium, germanium and indium within the United States from Indium’s domestic waste stream, supported by a pro-development environment where the Trump Administration is trying to boost domestic minerals production.

More from MTM Critical Metals: MTM lands lease for US critical metals recovery

‘Major technical milestone’

MTM managing director and CEO Michael Walshe said the successful test of the commercial scale crucible marks a major technical milestone for MTM.

“It confirms that our Flash Joule Heating process scales effectively and that key thermal performance parameters are preserved at commercial reactor size,” he said.

“This materially reduces scale-up risk and supports potential throughput uplift from day one of operations.”

Walshe said the modular plant design gives the company flexibility to expand capacity by simply replicating this validated unit, making its approach both capital-efficient and rapidly scalable.

“As we progress toward commissioning later this year, our strategy continues to align with US government policy on reshoring manufacturing and securing domestic supply chains for metals,” he said.

“MTM is well-positioned to support these goals and to advance as a leading player in the US critical metals space as we execute on our commercial strategy”.

Procurement activities are underway, with onsite works scheduled to begin in Q3 2025.

Commissioning remains on track for late Q4, after which MTM expects to initiate staged operations and product qualification with early offtake partners.

This article was developed in collaboration with MTM Critical Metals, 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.