In the quaint facility of Creative Engineers in Pennsylvania, an exciting development unfurled: NioCorp Developments Ltd. (NB.T) and its savvy partner, Nanoscale Powders LLC, successfully fashioned scandium metal on a pilot scale.
For those in the know, this is a major deal. Finding rare earths is a lot easier than finding rare earths that can be efficiently turned into ingots. For Niocorp, this is an achievement worth noting as it brings them to their first real ‘level up’. NB stock jumped $0.16 on the news.
If you’re scratching your head wondering what on Earth scandium is, allow me to elucidate. This project is a significant step toward creating a unique alloy that has the potential to revolutionize various industries. Imagine an alloy as robust as the heroes of yore, yet as light as a feather’s touch. That’s the dream of the aluminum-scandium (Al-Sc) master alloy. With NioCorp and Nanoscale’s latest success, this dream is a tad closer to reality.
Their goal? Produce master alloy samples big enough for some serious testing, and that too, in mere weeks.
Nanoscale’s secret sauce—a proprietary method they developed—is apparently doing wonders. Not only does it make the production process more efficient, but it’s also a kinder approach to our dear Earth, which is increasingly important as we continue to lose cities to flames, flood, and occasionally snakes. Remember, this is the same company that’s applied similar magic to producing rare earth metals elsewhere. Scandium, in the world of metals, behaves quite similarly to those rare earth counterparts.
But why is this Al-Sc alloy causing such a stir? Because it has the potential to make materials lighter, stronger, and more resilient.
Think of car frames that can endure more while weighing less or space shuttles that can withstand the vast unknown. The purpose is simple, yet ambitious: NioCorp aims to infuse varying amounts of scandium into the alloy, from a modest 2% to a whopping 10%.
We’ve heard this dream before, from the Graphene crowd. The problem is, getting to graphene in decent amounts is prohibitively expensive and time consuming, while Niocop just showed Aluminum-Scandium is doable.
Mark A. Smith, the captain of the NioCorp ship, understands the gravity of the situation.
“This successful test demonstrates that we can make scandium metal at a high enough purity level to proceed directly to the pilot-scale production of kilogram-sized samples of aluminum-scandium master alloy,” said Smith. “The progress being made in this phased commercialization effort is important given the rapidly growing interest in scandium alloys across both the commercial transportation sector and in the national defence community.”
NioCorp isn’t stopping there. Talks are in the air with vehicle makers about embedding this revolutionary alloy into electric cars and more, amplifying their performance. Plus, the wheels of politics in Washington, DC, are turning. With the nation’s defense in mind, they’re backing efforts to ramp up production of such alloys and have promised $10m to the industry.
Now, for the grand vision: NioCorp and Nanoscale’s ambitious three-stage plan. It starts with pilot-scale production, moves on to a commercial demonstration, and culminates in full-blown commercial production. The climax of this story? An awe-inspiring production facility nestled next to the Elk Creek project in Nebraska. There, the bounties of nature, like low-cost power and water, would aid in mining.
Additionally, NioCorp and Nanoscale have an eco-friendly trick up their sleeves. They’re looking to recycle any leftover alloy, ensuring every ounce is put to good use.
In essence, with scandium in their sights and innovation in their hearts, NioCorp and Nanoscale are scripting a tale that could change the face of modern industries.
— Chris Parry
FULL DISCLOSURE: Niocorp was an Equity.Guru clcient laste last year, and we continue to hood stock in the company given its technology, project, and management.