Outokumpu has introduced EvoMaterials, a new technology platform for producing low-CO₂, high-purity metals. The sulfidation-based process will initially be used for chromium materials and could later be extended to other metals such as nickel and molybdenum. A pilot plant in the United States is scheduled to become operational in the first half of 2027.
Stainless steel producer Outokumpu is developing EvoMaterials, a technology designed to enable the production of high-purity metals with lower CO₂ emissions. The platform is based on a sulfidation process and is intended, among other things, to increase the chromium content and chromium-to-iron ratio of ferrochrome.
According to the company, the process can also be extended to strategically important materials such as nickel and molybdenum. In addition, metals could be recovered from side streams and returned to production.
Chromium from a European raw material source
A key basis for the technology is Outokumpu’s chromite mine in Kemi, Finland. It is the only chromium mine in the European Union. This allows the company to initially use EvoMaterials for the production of enriched ferrochrome and chromium metal.
These materials are required in sectors including space, aviation and defence. In the longer term, Outokumpu sees the technology as a potential basis for establishing a fully Western supply chain for critical chromium materials.
According to the company’s modelling, the process could combine lower emissions and improved resource efficiency with economic competitiveness compared with conventional production routes.
Development since 2021
Development of the technology began in the United States in 2021, initially focusing on chromite from the Kemi mine. Since then, Outokumpu has further developed and scaled up the process through its research and development activities.
The company combines its own technologies with process expertise. Development has also been supported in part by a non-exclusive patent licence agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Outokumpu has sought intellectual property protection for several key elements of the process technology.
“EvoMaterials is more than a step forward in reducing carbon emissions. It can fundamentally change how we think about extracting and producing metals. We can recover critical materials from resources that were previously considered waste and produce the quality the application demands. That would open entirely new possibilities for securing the materials we need for the future,” says Stefan Erdmann, CTO at Outokumpu and Head of EvoMaterials.
Pilot plant to start operations in 2027
Testing and modelling of the new processes are already underway at Outokumpu’s laboratory in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The next stage of development is a pilot plant in Londonderry, New Hampshire.
There, the process will be scaled up from one kilogram to one tonne in order to demonstrate the technology’s scalability and industrial feasibility. According to the company, construction of the pilot plant is progressing according to plan.
The plant is scheduled to become operational during the first half of 2027. In a further step, Outokumpu plans to build an industrial-scale plant that could begin operations in 2030. The company is currently evaluating potential locations in the United States and Europe.
Expansion to other metals planned
From 2030 onward, the technology is intended to be extended to additional materials and material streams. These include specialty alloys as well as nickel and molybdenum.
“EvoMaterials will reimagine how metals can be produced for the 21st century. By combining a lower climate impact with greater processing efficiency, the technology has the potential to fundamentally change how we extract and produce critical materials. As the demand for metals accelerates, supply chains tighten and regulatory expectations evolve, we need solutions that are lower-carbon, geopolitically resilient and economically competitive. EvoMaterials builds on this ambition to address all these three.
Taking this technology to industrial scale will mark an important new chapter for Outokumpu,” says Kati ter Horst, President and CEO at Outokumpu.
Source: Outokumpu
