China launches massive 300,000-ton plant to recover titanium from mining waste

China has begun building a 300,000-ton demonstration plant that will use a newly validated titanium tailings recovery technology to produce high-grade titanium-rich materials from mining waste. The project, developed by industrial pyrolysis company Niutech, is currently under construction in Linyi, Shandong Province, China. It will reportedly process 300,000 tons of waste annually into high-grade titanium-rich materials. The site will target low-grade titanium-iron tailings that have been uneconomical to process. Once completed, it will become Asia’s largest demonstration plant for recovering strategic mineral resources from mining waste. According to the company, the technology has been evaluated by a national-level professional institution. The assessment concluded that the approach has reached an “internationally advanced level.” Mining waste recovery Global mining produces roughly 16 billion tons of tailings each year. This includes millions of tons of titanium-iron and vanadium-titanium magnetite tailings. Now, in a bid to recover valuable minerals from this waste, Niutech has come up with a low-temperature pyrolysis and in-situ reduction process. The method operates below 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit (700 degrees Celsius), with a typical industrial range of between 1,022 and 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit (550 and 600 degrees Celsius). It also uses waste plastics, as well as other organic waste, as reducing agents. The production line recovers titanium using low-temperature pyrolysis and in-situ reduction.Credit: Niutech Niutech shared that through low-temperature pyrolysis, these materials generate reducing gases that convert titanium-bearing tailings within the same integrated system. “This approach integrates solid waste treatment, tailings enrichment, and energy circulation, challenging the traditional assumption that high temperatures are required for efficient reduction,” the firm said. According to the company, the system reaches a reduction rate of more than 50 percent, despite operating at significantly lower temperatures than traditional smelting technologies. What’s more, the production line recovers more than 93 percent of its waste heat and reduces overall energy consumption by over 36 percent. Additionally, it cuts carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 40 percent compared with conventional titanium reduction methods. Unlocking critical minerals Niutech officials pointed out that the equipment was built to be safe, efficient and environmentally friendly. The firm also integrated intelligent process controls that coordinate material flow and temperature regulation throughout the production line. To support continuous, large-capacity, stable industrial operation, the system links dynamic sealing technology with automated controls. Meanwhile, the demand for strategic minerals such as titanium continues to rise across aerospace, defense, chemicals, and advanced manufacturing. At the same time, mining operations around the world have generated enormous volumes of low-grade tailings that still contain recoverable metals but remain largely unused. This is because extraction has been too energy-intensive or costly. Niutech highlighted that the technology was made to address both challenges by turning discarded tailings into high-grade titanium-rich materials, while utilizing waste plastics as part of the reduction process. The company said it plans to keep working with mining and waste-management customers worldwide to deploy technologies that support resource recovery and industrial decarbonization. “Leveraging decades of R&D and engineering experience, Niutech partners with global mineral and solid waste customers to deliver cost-competitive, delivery-certain environmental equipment and green solutions for strategic mineral recovery and industry low-carbon transformation,” the company said in a press release.Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Based in Skopje, North Macedonia. Her work has appeared in Daily Mail, Mirror, Daily Star, Yahoo, NationalWorld, Newsweek, Press Gazette and others. She covers stories on batteries, wind energy, sustainable shipping and new discoveries. When she's not chasing the next big science story, she's traveling, exploring new cultures, or enjoying good food with even better wine.