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 revitalize these assets jointly.

The proposed facility will use Aymium’s proprietary technology to 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.

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.

Rio Tinto formed a strategic partnership with Aymium in 2022. 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.