Gallium developer Nimy partners with Curtin University to champion local production
ASX-listed Nimy Resources and Western Australia's largest university, Curtin University, have announced a partnership to undertake a pioneering research programme into processing highly-in-demand critical mineral gallium.
Curtin says in a statement issued on June 11 that cutting-edge technology and devices worldwide may soon use Western Australian gallium for the first time.
Nimy is developing the Mons project in Western Australia, which currently has an inferred resource of 7.23-million tonnes grading 102 g/t gallium oxide - with Australia's highest-grade known gallium intervals.
Gallium is a key component for semiconductors, smartphones, LED lighting and solar panels, as well as high-performance electronics, high-speed data transfer systems and energy efficient power systems.
Currently, Australia and other countries rely on a number of small producers of gallium with varying reliability, with Australia, for one, having no established extraction of refining capacity for the mineral.
To help address this shortage, the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia has committed $550 000 to Curtin and Nimy's two-year research project, which will investigate innovative pathways to concentrate, extract and refine gallium ores locally.
"Demand for gallium is rising rapidly, so developing local processing capability is critical to ensuring supply chain resilience and supporting the clean energy transition,” says Curtin commercial executive director Rohan McDougall. He adds that sustainable gallium processing in Western Australia will not only strengthen Australia’s sovereign supply of critical minerals, but also deliver vital skills, research opportunities and shared knowledge with the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Nimy MD Luke Hampson comments that by working with the university, the partners aim to establish Australia's first gallium processing capability to support global technology supply chains, reduce reliance on international producers and position Western Australia as a global leader in critical minerals innovation.
The project will be led by Western Australian School of Mines lecturer Dr Jonah Gumatan, who plans to undertake the project in three phases - covering mineral characterisation and process definition, extraction and purification technologies, and compound production and process optimisation. The work of the research programme will provide the foundation for future pilot-scale testing and potential commercialisation.
