Sumitomo mining unit putting up scandium recovery plant in Palawan

MANILA, Philippines - Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd (SMM) is constructing a scandium recovery pilot plant in Palawan seen to be operational by 2014.

In a statement on its website, the company said small quantities of scandium are contained in the ore used by its majority-owned subsidiary Coral Bay Nickel Corp.(CBNC) in the production of nickel-cobalt mixed sulfide.

CBNC, which is based in Palawan, operates a high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) plant in Palawan to produce nickel-cobalt sulfide.

“For some time, SMM has been working to develop a scandium recovery method at its Niihama Research Laboratories in Ehime Prefecture. This effort has now led to the attainment of technology enabling efficient recovery of scandium from the nickel-cobalt mixed sulfide production process,” SMM said.

The scandium recovery plant to be constructed by the end of 2013 will conduct trial production at a level of 10 kilograms (kg) per month in 2014.

Based on the results of the test operation of the pilot plant, the company will decide on the construction of a scandium oxide production line of a commercial scale and the launch of a related business in 2015.

Scandium is a silvery-white metal classified as a rare earth element. It is used in a wide variety of applications such as enhancing the strength, heat resistance and corrosion resistance of aluminum; as an electrolyte used in solid oxide fuel cells; and as an electrode used in metal halide lamps and alkaline batteries.