MTM Critical Metals, a metals refiner that processes e-scrap, will expand operations beyond Western Australia and into the U.S. amid a rebranding, the company announced during a recent investor call.
The company, now called Metallium, is building its first U.S. location in Houston, with commissioning expected in the first quarter of 2026. The facility will process high-grade e-scrap and semiconductor refinery scrap, and the company has already secured offtake agreements, according to a press release.
Metallium is collaborating with India’s Vedanta, as well as Indium and multiple electronics processors in the U.S. to secure feedstock and validate industrial deployment.
The company is developing a network of regional sites beyond Texas, with potential locations in Louisiana, Florida, Nevada and Ohio to meet the growing demand for domestic refining of critical metals, the press release said.
Metallium uses a flash joule heating (FJH) process for metals recovery, providing single-step of critical, strategic and precious metals without smelting or acids, according to the company. It can recover antimony, gallium, germanium, indium, gold and rare earths, from e-scrap and mineral concentrates. The electro-thermal process was developed at Rice University in Houston.
The process “utilizes the principle of electrical resistance to generate intense heat within materials almost instantaneously,” Metallium wrote on its website. “This process involves passing a direct current through a material, where the resistance of the material itself converts electrical energy into heat energy. The result is a rapid increase in temperature, often exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius in milliseconds – a phenomenon known as ‘flashing.'”
“This instantaneous heating triggers various physical and chemical transformations within the material,” the company added. “These transformations can be particularly advantageous for metal recovery processes from ores (especially those that are refractory in nature and therefore more resistant to leaching) and waste materials.”
Managing Director and CEO Michael Walshe said in the release, “We are fully capitalized and strategically positioned to become a U.S.-based industrial producer of critical and precious metals. Our technology is not just cleaner and faster, it’s commercially viable today based on testing carried out on multiple feedstock samples and the FJH system is vital to building resilient domestic supply chains.”
