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Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has extracted its first primary gallium from bauxite processed in Quebec, marking a key milestone in its partnership with Indium Corporation to develop North American supply of the critical mineral.

The gallium was recovered from material produced at Rio Tinto’s alumina refinery in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean—the only such facility in Canada—and the initial extraction was carried out at Indium Corporation’s research and development facility in Rome, New York.

The companies are now entering a pilot phase to assess gallium extraction techniques at a larger scale. If successful, Rio Tinto plans to build a demonstration plant in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean with financial support from the Quebec government, which has committed up to C$7 million ($4.9 million). The proposed plant would have the capacity to produce up to 3.5 tonnes of gallium per year.

A future commercial-scale facility could eventually yield up to 40 tonnes annually, equivalent to 5–10% of current global output,

Used in semiconductors and integrated circuits, gallium is critical to technologies such as radar systems, smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles.

Global gallium production is limited to about 600 tonnes per year and occurs entirely outside North America.

The effort to develop domestic supply comes as China, the dominant producer, added gallium to its export restrictions to the US last year.