Outokumpu Unveils New Technology for Low Emissions High Purity Metals
“We can recover critical materials from resources that were previously considered waste," said Stefan Erdmann.
Finnish steelmaker Outokumpu has unveiled EvoMaterials® – a brand name for a proprietary technology developed to produce low CO2 metals that builds on advanced sulfidation-based process technology.
EvoMaterials’ technology, says Outokumpu, is designed to increase the chromium content and chromium-to-iron ratio of ferrochrome. It can be extended to other strategic materials, including nickel and molybdenum, and it can extract metals from side streams, broadening its commercial potential.
Outokumpu’s Kemi mine in Finland, the only chrome mine inside the European Union, provides a unique strategic asset, enabling EvoMaterials to start with enriched ferrochrome and chromium metal. These materials are essential for meeting the future demand of several critical sectors, including space, aviation, and defence.
Over the longer term, says Outokumpu, the technology could help establish a fully Western supply chain for critical chromium materials. In addition to reducing emissions and improving resource efficiency, the steelmaker's modelling indicates that the technology can be economically competitive compared to conventional production routes.
Development of the technology began in the US in 2021 for Kemi chromite. Since then, Outokumpu has developed and scaled the technology through its research and development work, combining it with proprietary technologies and process expertise towards commercialisation, supported in part by a non-exclusive patent license agreement from MIT.
Outokumpu is now commercializing and further developing these technologies.
“We can recover critical materials from resources that were previously considered waste and produce the quality the application demands. That would open entirely new possibilities for securing the materials we need for the future."
——Stefan Erdmann, chief technology officer at Outokumpu and head of EvoMaterials.
Through ongoing scientific work, the technology has advanced significantly, claims Outokumpu, resulting in several process innovations. The company has sought intellectual property protection for these key process elements to ensure its long-term technology leadership and future commercialisation opportunities.
Speaking to Steel Times International in London earlier this week, Stefan Erdmann, chief technology officer at Outokumpu and head of EvoMaterials, said that the new technology will fundamentally change the way we think about extracting and producing metals.
“We can recover critical materials from resources that were previously considered waste and produce the quality the application demands. That would open entirely new possibilities for securing the materials we need for the future,” he said.
Outokumpu is planning to have an operational pilot plant up and running in New Hampshire by early 2027.
Testing and modelling new processes have been underway in Outokumpu's laboratory in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Next, the company will scale up the technology at its pilot plant in Londonderry, New Hampshire, USA, from 1 kg to 1 ton, demonstrating the technology’s scalability and industrial feasibility. The pilot plant project is progressing according to plan, says the steelmaker. The next step will be to build an industrial-scale plant, to be operational in 2030. Outokumpu is currently evaluating potential locations in the US and Europe.
From 2030 onwards, to reach the full potential of the technology, the ambition is to expand into other materials, such as specialty alloys, nickel and molybdenum – as well as entirely new material streams –further entrenching Outokumpu’s leading position in low-CO2 metal solutions.
Kati ter Horst, president and CEO of Outokumpu, commented: “EvoMaterials will reimagine how metals can be produced for the 21st century. By combining a lower climate impact with greater processing efficiency, the technology has the potential to fundamentally change how we extract and produce critical materials. As the demand for metals accelerates, supply chains tighten and regulatory expectations evolve, we need solutions that are lower-carbon, geopolitically resilient and economically competitive."