Titanium deal boosts circular supply chain

US metal specialist IperionX has signed an agreement with ELG Utica Alloys for a low-carbon, 100% recycled, titanium supply chain.
Under the agreement, ELG will supply clean titanium scrap metal for IperionX to process using its patented technologies to produce low-carbon titanium metal for a more sustainable and circular supply chain. ELG is a subsidiary of Aperam Recycling, controlled by Lakshmi Mittal, executive chairman of ArcelorMittal.

The US is the largest consumer of high-quality titanium but does not produce the metal and has to source it over long distances from high-carbon supply chains. IperionX claims to control the only known commercial process that uses 100% titanium scrap to produce high quality finished titanium metal.

First production

IperionX ceo Anastasios Arima says the agreement ‘provides the potential to unlock a secure, long-term supply of scrap titanium feedstock to create value for our customers with a lower cost, low-carbon, titanium supply chain for advanced American manufacturing’.
ELG ceo Carsten Becker added, ‘This agreement with IperionX enables us to ensure that even more titanium material is recycled and stays in a closed loop, overall reducing carbon emissions and further driving Aperam’s sustainability efforts.’

The agreement ties in with the expected first production from IperionX’s planned 125 tonne-per-annum demonstration facility in Virginia early in 2024.