Rio Tinto and Aymium to establish biocarbon joint venture in Québec
25 Julio 2024 - 11:22AM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto and Aymium have formed a new joint venture named
Évolys Québec Inc. to manufacture a renewable metallurgical
biocarbon product to reduce carbon emissions in large scale
industrial processes. This biocarbon, sourced from biomass
residues, offers an alternative for anthracite currently used in
ilmenite smelting processes at Rio Tinto’s metallurgical complex in
Sorel-Tracy.
The joint venture will be established on the site of a former
pulp and paper mill in Thurso, Québec. The Government of Québec
selected Rio Tinto and Aymium to jointly revitalize these
assets.
The proposed facility will use Aymium’s proprietary technology
to locally produce high-quality biocarbon – a raw material in high
demand, essential to fulfilling Rio Tinto’s commitments to
decarbonization. Rio Tinto has already observed promising results
with this technology through the use of materials produced by
Aymium at its metallurgical complex in Sorel-Tracy.
Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium (RTIT) and Diamonds Managing
Director Sophie Bergeron said: “Decarbonization is at the core of
Rio Tinto's strategy, and the Évolys joint venture provides us with
a unique opportunity to produce local biocarbon, thereby reducing
the carbon footprint of our Québec operations.”
“We are pleased to be working with the Government of Québec to
give a second life to the former Fortress site in Thurso and look
forward to collaborating with local communities and our partner,
Aymium, to develop a project that will not only benefit the
environment but also reinvigorate the regional economy.”
Aymium CEO James Mennell added: “It is a fantastic opportunity
for Aymium to expand our partnership with Rio Tinto through Évolys
and develop this new project in Québec in addition to our current
developments in the United States. Aymium is actively offering
their products to several customers in Canada, and we see a great
potential to expand the usage of biocarbon across many
industries.”
Québec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy; Minister for
Regional Economic Development; and Minister for the Metropolis and
the Montreal Region, Pierre Fitzgibbon, said: “The Évolys Québec
project will enable a sustainable revival of the former Fortress
site. It's a new beginning with a technology that both decarbonizes
our economy and adds value to the region's forest residues.”
Évolys will lease the portion of the pulp and paper mill that
will be revitalized. Both partners are committed to advancing
products and technologies that go beyond the conventional use of
biocarbon as a substitute for fossil fuels.
Further details of the project, including a timeline for the
start of production, will be communicated as soon as the transition
process is completed.
Notes to editors
In 2022, Rio Tinto formed a strategic partnership with Aymium.
In 2023, Rio Tinto further bolstered its collaboration with Aymium
through an additional investment. This funding followed a thorough
trial of Aymium's biocarbon as a potential alternative energy
source at Rio Tinto’s metallurgical complex in Sorel-Tracy.
The pulp and paper mill, formerly owned by Fortress, is located
in the municipalities of Thurso and Lochaber-Partie-Ouest and
closed in 2019. The Government of Québec appointed Deloitte to
manage the takeover file and to evaluate the proposals received
from candidates interested in taking over the facilities, including
biomass already available.
About Aymium
Aymium produces high-value biocarbon and biohydrogen products
that can be used to immediately replace fossil fuels in the
production of metals, energy, crops, and in the purification of
water and air with no modifications to equipment or processes.
Produced using sustainably sourced biomass – recovered and unusable
wood – Aymium's bioproducts are renewable, carbon-negative and they
replace emission-heavy fossil fuels such as coal and coke. Aymium's
leading technology is backed by more than 500 issued or pending
patents on a global basis. Aymium is headquartered in
Minnesota.
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