Gallium on Ice: NALCO’s Rare Metal Project Remains Frozen

Nearly a decade after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) has yet to begin commercial operations for its proposed gallium extraction project.

In 2016, NALCO partnered with BARC to develop indigenous technology to extract gallium—a strategic and high-value rare metal—from Bayer liquor, a by-product of the alumina refining process that contains trace quantities of the metal. At the time, the company described the initiative as its first research and development collaboration with BARC, undertaken in the national interest to build domestic capabilities for gallium recovery. Then Chairman Tapan Kumar Chand had highlighted the potential of Bayer liquor, also known as sodium aluminate liquor, as a viable source of gallium using specialised extraction techniques.

Despite these early plans, progress on the project has been limited. According to a recent report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services, NALCO has informed analysts that it is now setting up a pilot plant to assess the technical and commercial viability of the extraction process. This suggests that the project remains at an early, exploratory stage even after nearly ten years, underscoring the technological and operational challenges involved in recovering rare metals from industrial by-products.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.