Niihama Scandium Recovery

Notes

Sumitomo Metal Mining's Niihama Nickel Refinery in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, recovers scandium oxide as a byproduct of its high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) nickel laterite refining process. The scandium, present at low concentrations in the leach solution, is selectively extracted using solvent extraction circuits originally developed for cobalt/nickel separation. The facility produces approximately 2-3 tonnes per year of high-purity ScO3, making it one of the few commercially operating scandium production sites outside Australia and China. Output is primarily supplied to the global aerospace aluminium alloy and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) markets.