Scandium
Scandium’s magic lies in trace additions (mere hundreds of ppm) to aluminium, yielding weldable, high-strength Al-Sc alloys tailor-made for lightweight aerospace parts, EV chassis and additive-manufactured bike frames. Global oxide output is < 40 t per year, split between Ni-Co laterite off-gas recovery and bauxite red-mud leaching, so prices > US $1 000 kg keep demand niche. SOFCs already absorb a steady 20 % share, while Australian ionic-clay deposits may double supply by 2030.
Supply Dynamics
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Current supply is by-product: Russia, China and Philippines laterites, plus red-mud recovery in Ukraine and China.
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Australian clay projects (Sunrise, Owendale) and U.S. critical-mineral bills target first tonnes late-decade.
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Production costs hinge on coproduct credits (Ni-Co) and acid recycling; scaling can halve unit costs.
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Recycling negligible - scrap streams are small and diffuse.
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End-user pre-payments and JV offtakes increasingly finance greenfield capacity.
Demand Dynamics
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Aerospace OEMs specify Al-Sc extrusions and powder for weight-cutting without rivets or post-weld heat-treat.
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Metal-printing service bureaus adopt Al-Sc for lattice structures and rapid tooling.
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Solid-oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) roll-outs lift demand at 8 – 10 % CAGR.
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Sporting-goods brands trial Sc-alloys in premium bike frames and baseball bats.
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Adoption outside high-value segments remains price-capped until new tonnes arrive.