Alcoa refuses to rule out mining the Perth Hills
A letter from the US miner raised hope that the jarrah forest inland from Perth would escape its strip mining for bauxite, but Alcoa is keeping its options open.
Gallium is used in many modern technologies, including semiconductors, LEDs and defence applications. Often extracted as a byproduct of producing alumina from bauxite, it is classified as a critical mineral by Western countries.
Extraction of the critical mineral found in the waste from making alumina from bauxite could curb China's 98 per cent share of global production.
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