- 01Metallium and Traxys assess US critical-metals supply chains using FJH.
- 02Focus: feedstock, processing, offtake and finance.
- 03Targets rare earths and other metals.
Metallium (ASX: MTM) subsidiary Flash Metals US has secured a deal with commodity trader Traxys North America to evaluate opportunities to develop US critical metals supply chains combining Metallium’s flash joule heating (FJH) processing platform with Traxys’ global commercial capabilities.
The framework pairs Metallium’s processing development at the Gator Point Technology Campus in Texas with Traxys’ global sourcing, customer reach, logistics and trade finance expertise.
It will target the areas of feedstock sourcing, processing and tolling, marketing and offtake, price hedging, prepayments and working capital facilities, as well as potential strategic investments to enable a more capital-efficient route to scale-up.
The immediate task will be to prioritise feedstocks and products, assess processing economics and negotiate supply, offtake and financing terms—each of which is considered central to the proposed collaboration.
The partners will contemplate evaluation across a range of metals including magnetic rare earths, gallium, germanium, indium, tungsten, titanium, copper, nickel, magnesium, manganese and platinum group metals.
Core Processing Technology
FJH is the core technology in the company’s processing solution, employing rapid electrical heating to induce physical and chemical changes in prepared feedstocks to improve the accessibility of contained metals and support subsequent recovery.
Securing critical metals requires the capacity to convert mineral and recycled feedstocks into products that can be used by downstream refineries and manufacturers, a midstream processing step connecting available resources with industrial demand that is central to Metallium’s US onshoring strategy.
Potential structures such as processing Traxys-owned or Traxys-financed feedstocks, pre-payments against future product deliveries, and project-level financing or investment to support equipment and capacity expansion could potentially reduce the upfront cash Metallium needs to commit to feedstock procurement and processing.
Recovering metals from potential feedstock sources such as electronic waste, industrial residues, and recycled materials could expand domestic supply and retain more processing activity and value in the US.
Critical Minerals Security
Metallium managing director Michael Walsh said FJH technology could significantly contribute to strengthening US domestic processing capacity.
“America’s critical metals security depends on being able to process materials into usable products on American soil—midstream processing is essential to that capability, and FJH is central to the solution we are developing,” he said.
“Our aim is to unlock metals from complex or stranded feedstocks for downstream refining and manufacturing, and Traxys brings sourcing, marketing, and financing experience to help us connect that processing capability with reliable feedstock and customers.”
Traxys is a leading international metals and minerals sourcing conglomerate generating US$10 billion in annual revenue across more than 65 commodities and has been named as one of three suppliers for the US Export-Import Bank’s strategic critical minerals reserve.
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