Texas Plant Turns E-Waste to Gold, Bolstering US Metal Supply

HOUSTON, TX – December 29, 2025 – In a significant step toward turning mountains of electronic waste into a secure source of valuable metals, Metallium Limited has formally begun commissioning its first U.S. commercial plant. The company announced it successfully completed a “chlorine flash,” the inaugural run of its proprietary technology at the new Texas Technology Campus in Gator Point.

This event marks a critical milestone in the company’s mission to commercialize its innovative Flash Joule Heating (FJH) process, an advanced method for recovering critical and precious metals from discarded electronics. The successful test validates the core technology and keeps the Australian-based firm on track to meet its ambitious production timelines.

“This represents a significant milestone for Metallium,” said Michael Walshe, Managing Director and CEO of Metallium, in a public statement. He noted the substantial transformation of the site since its acquisition earlier in the year, which included major construction and the installation of complex process and environmental infrastructure. “We had said we intended to formally commission the plan in Q4 of 2025, and we have met this deadline.”

The commissioning signals a major de-risking of the company’s U.S. strategy, moving its technology from the lab toward full-scale industrial application and near-term revenue generation.

A Flash of Innovation in E-Waste Recycling

At the heart of Metallium's operation is its proprietary Flash Joule Heating chlorination process, a technology licensed from Rice University. The process represents a fundamental departure from traditional metal recovery methods like pyrometallurgy (smelting) and hydrometallurgy (acid leaching), which are often energy-intensive, expensive, and generate significant hazardous waste.

The FJH technique involves passing an intense electrical current through shredded e-waste, heating it to over 3,000°C in milliseconds. In the presence of chlorine gas, this rapid, intense heat vaporizes target metals—such as gold, silver, and copper—into metal chlorides. These vapors can then be selectively condensed and collected, leaving behind a less hazardous bulk material.

Research has highlighted the significant environmental and efficiency advantages of this approach. Compared to conventional hydrometallurgy for recovering rare earth elements, a similar FJH process demonstrated an 87% reduction in energy consumption and an 84% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Crucially, it eliminates the need for large volumes of toxic acids and water, which are major sources of pollution in traditional recycling. For gold recovery, early tests showed the potential to recover a high percentage of the metal without the hazardous inputs typical of other methods.

By sidestepping the environmental pitfalls of smelting and leaching, Metallium aims to establish a new standard for what it calls “urban mining”—the sustainable harvesting of valuable resources from the world’s fastest-growing waste stream.

Securing America's Critical Metal Supply Chain

The launch of the Texas campus comes at a pivotal moment for global supply chains. The metals Metallium aims to recover—initially gold, copper, silver, and tin from printed circuit boards (PCBs), with future plans for gallium and germanium—are all deemed critical for modern industry. They are essential components in everything from semiconductors and electric vehicles to renewable energy infrastructure and advanced defense systems.

For decades, the United States has grown increasingly dependent on foreign imports for these materials, leaving its economy and national security vulnerable to geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions. Recent export restrictions on gallium and germanium by China have underscored the fragility of these supply lines. In response, bolstering domestic production of critical minerals has become a key strategic priority for the U.S. government.

Metallium’s facility directly addresses this vulnerability. By processing e-waste generated within the U.S., the plant will create a domestic, circular supply of metals, reducing reliance on foreign mines and refineries. The economic timing is also favorable. Market analysts project continued strong demand and elevated prices for key metals into 2026, with copper driven by grid modernization and gold serving as a hedge against economic uncertainty. This robust market outlook provides a strong financial underpinning for the capital-intensive work of scaling up production.

From Lab to Commercial Scale

Successfully demonstrating a technology in a lab is one challenge; making it commercially viable is another. Metallium's progress at the Texas Technology Campus illustrates a clear, methodical approach to scaling up its operations. The commissioning is part of a staged ramp-up strategy, with the company targeting a Stage 1 throughput of 8,000 tonnes per annum of inbound PCB e-waste by the third quarter of 2026.

A critical component of this strategy is securing a reliable and long-term source of feedstock. While over 60 million metric tons of e-waste are generated globally each year, channeling a consistent supply to a processing facility is a complex logistical puzzle. Metallium appears to be making significant headway, having announced it is in advanced negotiations for several long-term supply agreements. The company has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with commodities giant Glencore, which would see Glencore become a major feedstock supplier and an offtaker for up to 75% of the recycled products.

This progress is bolstered by key regulatory approvals. On December 5, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved the facility’s Permit-by-Rule, a critical green light that allows commissioning and operations to proceed. The campus is now a hive of activity, with teams working in parallel on utilities, feedstock handling circuits, and environmental control systems, all while a dedicated demonstration line continues to run tests for process optimization and customer qualification.

The Competitive Landscape of Urban Mining

Metallium is a prominent innovator but not the only player in the burgeoning field of urban mining. A new generation of cleantech companies is racing to develop more sustainable and efficient ways to recover value from waste. Competitors are exploring a range of technologies, from advanced hydrometallurgical processes that use novel solvents to bio-leaching techniques that employ microbes to extract metals.

Companies like Ascend Elements and Redwood Materials are making major strides in battery recycling, while others like Phoenix Tailings are focused on extracting value from legacy mining waste. This competitive landscape highlights a powerful industry-wide shift away from the linear “take-make-dispose” model and toward a circular economy where waste is viewed as a valuable resource.

Within this dynamic field, Metallium’s Flash Joule Heating technology stands out for its speed, efficiency, and potential for a low environmental footprint. The successful chlorine flash in Texas is more than a technical achievement; it is a clear signal that the company is ready to move from a promising concept to a commercial force in the race to build a more sustainable and resilient materials economy.