The brief

Analyst view

• First commercial-size (450 kA) inert-anode cell started at Rio Tinto's Alma smelter in November 2025.
• First licence: a US$285M, 10-cell demo plant at Arvida making up to 2,500 t a year, first metal targeted for 2027.
• Commercial sale was first promised for 2024; it now hinges on the Alma tests and Arvida.

Technical approach

As reported

Anode

An electrode that is not burned

Classic smelters use carbon anodes that are consumed and give off CO2. ELYSIS uses a proprietary non-carbon anode that stays intact and releases oxygen.

Scale-up

From lab to potline

Alcoa ran the process near Pittsburgh from 2009; a Saguenay R&D centre followed in 2020, then a 450 kA cell inside a working Alma potline.

Business

Licensing the technology

ELYSIS sells licences to smelters. Rio Tinto took the first in 2024 for the Arvida demo plant.