II-VI DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

II-VI is a vertically integrated supplier of engineered materials and infrared optics serving customers globally.

II-VI Incorporated and its divisions and subsidiaries utilize expertise in synthetic crystal materials growth, optics fabrication, electronics component manufacture, and more to create high-tech products for a wide range of applications and industries.

II-VI PERFORMANCE METALS’s Rare Specialty Metals & Chemical Products are widely accepted as being of the highest quality and in many cases, of the highest purity available in the market. This division is an expert in extractive metallurgy and recycling of rare earths and metals from ores and wastes. Main products include Se, Te, Sc, Y and Lanthanides compounds.We currently export to more than twenty five countries, with customers using our products in a diverse range of applications, such as: photovoltaic cells, laser optics, thermoelectric cooling systems, glass products, agriculture, nutritional supplements, etc

II-VI Deutschland GmbH serves the European market and is a leading supplier of materials and components serving the optical components market, including Lasers.

II-VI is a key industrial stakeholder and technology developer in SCALE, bringing in the consortium the innovative SIR technology for extracting Sc from dilute streams. SIR will be further developed and tested for the first time with industrial real solutions in the AoG test facilities.

Website: www.ii-vi.com

WHAT IS SCANDIUM?

Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery-white metallic d-block element, it was discovered in 1879 by spectral analysis of the minerals euxenite and gadolinite from Scandinavia.

Scandium is a rare-earth metal, used in small amounts but with drastic effects on properties of matter. It is a key component in producing high strength Aluminium alloys used in aerospace and 3D printing as well as in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) applications.

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SCANDIUM SUPPLY

Scandium is present in most of the deposits of rare-earth and uranium compounds, but it is extracted from these ores in only a few mines worldwide. Scandium supply is limited due its scarcity and the high cost of its production, which currently takes place in Asia and Russia. Europe has no production of Scandium, but is home to many Scandium end-users and to industries having Scandium in their industrial residues. By converting waste into resources and thus developing a stable and secure EU scandium supply chain to serve the needs of EU aerospace and high tech industry, SCALE project will contribute to reduce dependency on imports of raw materials.

SCALE PROJECT

Scandium is an enabler in vital sectors like clean energy, transport, optics and advanced materials. Despite having a proven set of impressive applications, its volatile price and unreliable supply chain limit their deployment. SCALE develops innovative technologies that can extract economically and sustainably Sc from dilute mediums (<100 mg/L) and upgrade them to pure oxides, metals and alloys at lower energy or material cost. This will be achieved through the development of a number of innovative extraction, separation, refining and alloying technologies that will be validated in an appropriate laboratory and industrial environment to prove their technical and economic feasibility. SCALE builds on the success of previous and on-going European research projects like ENEXAL, EURARE, REECover, REE4EU and REMAGHIC.

SCALE has received funding from the European Community’s Horizon 2020 Programme (H2020/2014-2020) under grant agreement n° 730105