Metallium Subsidiary Awarded DoD Contract to Enhance US Gallium Recovery Efforts
Metallium (ASX: MTM) has achieved a major breakthrough in its aims to become a supporter of the US government’s critical minerals supply chain, with wholly-owned subsidiary Flash Metals Texas landing a significant contract with the Department of Defense (DoD).
The Department has awarded Flash Metals Texas a Phase 1 small business innovation research contract to recover gallium from waste streams, using the company’s proprietary flash joule heating process.
The US considers gallium a critical mineral essential for defence, semiconductors, and communications applications, with the dominance of non-allied nations over current supply creating national security risks.
Cost-Sharing Arrangement
The DoD’s new gallium recovery program will use Metallium’s technology on scrap and gallium-rich waste streams, which also contain germanium and other valuable metals.
Flash Metals Texas will be prime contractor of the program, with Rice University’s Tour Group to participate under a resource and cost-sharing arrangement.
The Phase 1 program will progress across five key technical workstreams, including thermodynamic modelling, chlorination trials and optimisation, real-time monitoring and control development, materials characterisation and yield analysis, and technoeconomic and environmental assessment.
Accelerated Timeline
Metallium chief executive officer Michael Walshe said the “milestone” program – the company’s first direct contract with the DoD – directly supported US strategic objectives to secure domestic supply chains for defence-critical minerals, and that an accelerated timeline highlighted the FJH technology’s readiness for rapid transition.
“It signals our formal entry into the DoD system and follows the proven SBIR pathway that has enabled other ASX-listed companies to progress from Phase 1 to substantial multi-year, multi-million-dollar contracts,” Mr Walshe said.
“By demonstrating our technology for gallium recovery, we are building U.S-based solutions that reduce reliance on foreign supply chains and directly support national security priorities.”
With the approximately A$100,000 in SBIR funding, Metallium will feature in an initial six-month program the company believes may open the door for opportunities to apply for Phase 2 funding of up to US$1 million, which would advance pilot-scale deployment at Metallium’s existing site in Texas, with Phase 3 enabling full commercial implementation.