Flash Metals USA advances critical minerals recovery plant in Texas

Metallium (ASX: MTM) reported on Monday that its Flash Metals USA subsidiary has made substantial progress on its Technology Campus in Chambers County, Texas – the site of its first commercial-scale metal recovery plant in the US.

The facility uses the ‘flash joule heating’ (FJH) method, which was originally developed to produce graphene from carbon sources like food waste, later adapted in 2021 by researchers at Rice University to recover rhodium, palladium, gold and silver from electronic waste.

The company said it is pursuing commercial opportunities across a range of critical metal feedstocks, including antimony, rare earth element (REE) magnets, heavy REE-enriched e-scrap and selected mining concentrates.

Metallium also released its technology performance from domestically sourced e-waste feedstocks: Gold – 100% recovery from feedstock grading 551 grams per tonne, over 100x higher than typical primary ores; silver – 97% recovery at 2,804 g/t; and antimony – 98% recovery from feedstock grading 3.13%.

Since securing its Texas site, Metallium has significantly progressed the redevelopment of the infrastructure to enable the start of commissioning in December 2025.

Alongside equipment procurement and site works, the company said it is advancing with air quality, water quality and waste management permitting; engaged VaporPoint to implement best-practice monitoring and compliance systems; and is finalizing balance-of-plant engineering, structural analysis and integration design.

Metallium also said it engaged engineering firm Hunt, Guillot & Associates for plant integration, implementation engineering and structural assessments, and is working with the local power utility Entergy Texas to finalize supply arrangements and capacity for long-term operations.
 
A key commissioning milestone has also been achieved with the order of 60 tonnes of printed circuit board (PCB) scrap e-waste, the company added.

“We are progressing on all fronts to deliver our first US facility as planned. With critical equipment ordered, site works advancing, and commissioning feedstock secured, the project is materially de-risked,” Metallium CEO Michael Walshe said in a news release.
 
“Our ambition is to leverage the FJH modular system design so that we can rapidly expand this model across the United States, targeting pre-permitted sites strategically located near major e-waste collection centres,” Walshe said.

“Every step we are taking now, from engineering to feedstock readiness, is about building a robust, scalable platform capable of processing a diverse range of critical and precious metals, positioning Metallium as a leader in US-based metals recovery and refining.”