Rio Tinto Eyes Gallium Plant in Canada After China Metals Curb

Rio Tinto Group is looking at ways to produce gallium in Canada after China moved to ban US-bound exports of the rare metal used to make semiconductors, smart phones and electric vehicles.

The company said Friday it’s assessing the potential for extracting and processing the mineral in Quebec, and plans to build a demonstration plant that can produce up to 3.5 metric tons of gallium per year. The product would come from bauxite processed at its alumina refinery in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, about 240 miles (385 kilometers) north of Quebec City, Rio Tinto said.