British Columbia-based pH7 Technologies is expanding its metals processing facility with federal support as it works to scale recovery of platinum group metals from secondary materials.
The company said Tuesday it is receiving advisory services and up to $4 million Canadian (US $3 million) in funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program, or NRC IRAP, to help advance its metallurgical processing technology.
The project will support development and scale-up of pH7’s organo-electrochemical process for recovering platinum, palladium and rhodium, three metals used in applications that include hydrogen production, fuel cells, emissions control systems and advanced electronics, according to the company.
The expansion builds on pH7’s existing Vancouver operations and will fund process optimization, engineering improvements and expanded recovery capabilities at the facility, the release said. pH7 describes its technology as a closed-loop process designed to recover metals from complex material streams while eliminating wastewater and reducing the carbon footprint and energy consumption associated with conventional processing.
“Critical metals like platinum and palladium are essential to modern industry, yet their supply chains remain concentrated and environmentally intensive,” Mohammad Doostmohammadi, chief executive officer of pH7 Technologies, said in a statement. “Our technology allows us to recover and process these metals locally while eliminating wastewater and dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of production.”
The announcement ties the project to Canada’s broader push to strengthen domestic critical minerals supply chains. Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy says the country is investing in production and processing in strategic areas to build more resilient value chains.
“The Government of Canada supports the creation of competitive supply chains for critical minerals and value-added products, processes, and technologies,” Mélanie Joly, minister of industry, said.
Tim Hodgson, minister of energy and natural resources, said the government is trying to strengthen “every part of the value chain” from research and innovation to processing and advanced manufacturing.
Mitch Davies, president of the National Research Council of Canada, said the NRC IRAP clean technology initiative is aimed at supporting Canadian companies developing lower-impact technologies in the critical minerals sector.
pH7 says the Vancouver project will focus on engineering, process optimization and plant development as it seeks to expand its ability to recover high-value metals from complex feedstocks. On its website, the company says it has already commissioned a commercial spent-catalyst processing operation in Vancouver producing platinum, palladium and rhodium.
