# Gallium: Extraction

How gallium is skimmed from alumina refinery liquor

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/extraction/

What this tab covers How it is mined, drilled or grown, and processed into a tradeable form: the main methods compared, their unit economics, by-products, and the companies that do this work globally and in India.

Gallium has no ore of its own. Bauxite averages about 50 parts per million gallium, and most primary metal is recovered from the caustic liquor of alumina refineries using the Bayer process. A smaller share comes from zinc-processing residues. Recovery needs an extraction circuit attached to a refinery, so supply depends on alumina output and on whether refiners choose to invest. The low-purity metal is then refined to very high purity for semiconductors. Companionality is about 95%, with aluminium the host.

Gallium is never mined for itself. It sits at about 50 parts per million in bauxite and is pulled from the caustic liquor of alumina refineries, so supply depends on how much alumina is refined and on whether refiners have installed a recovery circuit. A smaller amount comes from zinc-refining residues. The 4N metal from these circuits is then refined to semiconductor purity, and a large share of high-purity supply is recycled from wafer and device manufacturing scrap. China built recovery units at most of its refineries in the 2000s and 2010s and now makes 99% of primary gallium.

#### Methods compared

| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **By-product of Bayer alumina refining (ion exchange + electrolysis)** | about 95% of primary gallium (BRGM 2016); China 99% of primary output in 2025 (USGS) | Chalco had 200 t/yr of capacity across three plants and produced 146 t in 2022; Alcoa Wagerup project 100 t/yr; Metlen Greece 50 t/yr | World alumina refineries could in theory recover about 10,000 t/yr, but only about 4.4% of that potential was used (BRGM, 2015 data) | Gallium is itself the by-product; the host is alumina | Indicative: Chinese production cost about 1,000 yuan/kg (roughly $145/kg) in 2019 (Argus). Metlen's integrated bauxite, alumina and 50 t/yr gallium expansion is budgeted at EUR 295 million (2025). |
| **By-product of zinc refining residues** | about 5% of primary gallium (BRGM 2016) | small; no country figures published (USGS 2026 notes some US zinc ores hold up to 50 ppm Ga but none is recovered) | n/a | germanium, indium | n/a |
| **Refining to high purity and recycling of manufacturing scrap** | 40-45% of 2016 consumption came from recycled material (IBM 2018) | world refined high-purity output about 160 t (2015) on 230 t capacity; secondary capacity about 270 t/yr (2018) | at least 40% of manufacturing scrap recycled; under 1% end-of-life (BRGM 2016) | arsenic recovered from GaAs scrap | n/a |

#### How each method works
**By-product of Bayer alumina refining (ion exchange + electrolysis)**

A side stream of spent Bayer liquor is pumped through columns of chelating ion-exchange resin, which adsorbs gallium. The resin is eluted, the gallium solution is purified and the metal is electrowon to 4N purity. The liquor goes back to the refinery, so the circuit adds little to alumina operations beyond capital and reagents.

Cheap where liquor volumes are large; output cannot rise beyond what alumina refining allows, and a circuit only pays above a certain price.
 BRGM criticality sheet (2016); Investing.com/Reuters factbox (2023); Alcoa (2025, 2026); Mining Weekly (Jan 2025); Argus (2019) **By-product of zinc refining residues**

Some sphalerite ores carry gallium (some US ores up to 50 ppm). It concentrates in leach residues of zinc refineries and can be recovered by acid leaching and solvent extraction, often together with germanium and indium.

Uses waste streams outside China; small volumes and complex chemistry.
 USGS MCS 2026; BRGM (2016) **Refining to high purity and recycling of manufacturing scrap**

Low-purity metal is refined by zone melting, fractional crystallisation and vacuum treatment to 6N-7N. GaAs wafer offcuts, polishing sludge and epitaxy waste are dissolved and the gallium recovered and refined again. Japan, Germany, Canada and the US are leading recyclers.

Main non-Chinese supply source; limited by how much scrap device makers generate (CSIS 2026).
 BRGM (2016); IBM Indian Minerals Yearbook 2018 (Gallium); CSIS (2026) Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.

#### By-product supply

Companionality is about 95%: gallium is a by-product of alumina refining. Bauxite holds more than 1 million t of gallium (USGS), so geology is not the limit; refinery liquor and recovery circuits are. A higher gallium price does not cause more bauxite to be refined, and new circuits outside China are still at project stage, so supply responds slowly. Chinese capacity grew more than 20% a year in 2005-2015, faster than demand, which kept the market in surplus until export controls in 2023 (BRGM 2016).

#### Share produced as a by-product
 About 95% of primary supply comes as a by-product of aluminium (bauxite) (Nassar, Graedel & Harper 2015, approximate).

#### Who does it: global

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Aluminum Corporation of China (Chalco/Chinalco)** | China | alumina refining with gallium recovery (Henan, Guangxi, Guizhou) | 146 t Ga (capacity 200 t/yr) | 2022 | [Reuters factbox via Investing.com (2023)](https://investing.com/news/commodities-news/factbox-chinas-major-germanium-and-gallium-producers-3121512) |
| **Beijing Jiya Semiconductor Material** | China | primary gallium | 60 t/yr capacity (about 20% of China's output) | 2019 | [Argus (2019)](https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/1940477-low-gallium-demand-balances-production-cuts) |
| **East Hope Group** | China | alumina and gallium | not published | 2023 | [Reuters factbox (2023); volume not published](https://investing.com/news/commodities-news/factbox-chinas-major-germanium-and-gallium-producers-3121512) |
| **AXT Inc. (Nanjing Jinmei Gallium)** | US/China | gallium refining (Xiaoyi Xingan JV), GaAs and InP substrates | not published | 2023 | [Reuters factbox (2023); volume not published](https://investing.com/news/commodities-news/factbox-chinas-major-germanium-and-gallium-producers-3121512) |
| **Alcoa (with Sojitz/JAGA, US and Australian governments)** | Australia | gallium recovery project at Wagerup alumina refinery | 100 t/yr planned capacity | 2026 (FID and production targeted) | [Alcoa release (Oct 2025) and factsheet (Aug 2026)](https://s29.q4cdn.com/844074237/files/doc_news/2025/Oct/20/gallium-release-FINAL.pdf) |
| **Metlen Energy and Metals** | Greece | gallium recovery at Agios Nikolaos alumina refinery | 50 t/yr planned capacity (25% contracted to a US tech firm) | 2027-2028 start | [Mining Weekly (Jan 2025); AL Circle (Aug 2026)](https://www.miningweekly.com/article/metlen-confirms-it-will-build-first-ever-industrial-gallium-plant-in-greece-2025-01-16) |
| **Neo Performance Materials** | Canada | recycling and refining of gallium scrap (Canada, US) | not published | 2026 | [CSIS (May 2026); volume not published](https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-china-trade-truce-has-not-solved-gallium-problem) |

#### Who does it: India

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **National Aluminium Company (NALCO)** | India | planned gallium extraction at Damanjodi alumina refinery, Odisha (with BARC and Heavy Water Board) | 10 t/yr planned capacity | planned (IBM 2018); later press reports of a pilot not verified here | [IBM Indian Minerals Yearbook 2018 (Gallium)](https://www.ibm.gov.in/writereaddata/files/06292019130124Gallium.pdf) |
| **Hindalco Industries** | India | recovered gallium at Renukoot alumina refinery in the past; no current output reported | not published | 2018 | [IBM Indian Minerals Yearbook 2018 (Gallium)](https://www.ibm.gov.in/writereaddata/files/06292019130124Gallium.pdf) |

India is a large alumina refiner but reports no gallium production; Hindalco (Renukoot) and NALCO (Damanjodi) recovered gallium in the past (IBM 2018). All gallium, GaAs and GaN wafers are imported. NALCO's planned 10 t/yr Damanjodi plant would be India's first modern unit; gallium is on India's 2023 critical minerals list.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/correlation/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/gallium/links/index.md)