ARBOK-Iridium (metal case) — iridium from PGM mine waters, tailings waters and brines

Overview

Just 7.5 tonnes — that is the entire annual global supply of iridium, the rarest metal of the platinum group and one of the scarcest elements in Earth's crust. The world mines about 3,000 tonnes of gold a year; iridium is 400 times rarer. Price is approximately $7,250 per troy ounce (July 2026), nearly double the price of gold, after growth of +700% since 2018 — an average of approximately 27% per year, a pace no mainstream precious metal has matched.

Iridium is not "mined" in the conventional way. It rides as a trace impurity in platinum ores, followed by energy-hungry smelting and months of refining. Along the way, enormous volumes of tailings and process water carry trace PGMs straight to the dump. South African PGM output is already declining — deep mines, power cuts, rising costs — so supply cannot respond to price. That is the definition of a structural deficit.

The ARBOK Critical-Materials Recovery platform is built for exactly these streams: mine drainage, tailings waters, underground and geothermal brines. The same platform is already configured for indium, germanium/gallium, REE, rhenium, lithium/cesium/rubidium and copper — only the selective-recovery step changes per metal, the physics does not.

> Core technology and architecture: see ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking). This entry covers the iridium-specific feedstock, market and rationale.

Applications

Primary feedstock streams: PGM mine drainage, tailings waters, industrial tailings, underground brines, geothermal brines.

Outputs / uses: iridium for PEM electrolyzers in green hydrogen production (already 12% of industrial demand and climbing fast); crucibles for sapphire and semiconductor crystal growth; OLED screens; spark plugs; deep-sea and space electronics. No substitutes in sight for these applications. Co-products: fresh water and salt.

Industries and users: PGM miners (South Africa, Russia, Zimbabwe, Canada), hydrogen-economy programmes, semiconductor and display manufacturers, strategic-supply programmes in import-dependent countries (the US is 100% import-reliant).

Scale: container modules — 200 m³/day per 20-ft TARK container — from a single unit to a cascade.

Operating Principle

The platform separates the feed stream under deep vacuum at ambient temperature. No smelter heat, no chemistry, no pressure, no filters or membranes, no consumables. Heat recuperation reaches up to 98%; specific energy consumption is approximately 0.7 kWh/m³ on the water base. Water recovery is up to 99.98% with zero liquid discharge. Fresh water and salt co-products often pay for the plant before the metal revenue even starts.

No heat is supplied to the process: the process temperature equals the temperature of the incoming stream and of the surroundings.

The platform is already configured for indium, germanium/gallium, REE, rhenium, lithium/cesium/rubidium and copper. From metal to metal only the selective-recovery step changes; the physics is unchanged. The iridium-specific selective-recovery step is not detailed in the available source: [требует уточнения из базы].

Limitations stated in the source. Iridium is present only as a trace impurity in platinum ores, and the volumes reaching tailings and process water are trace-level PGMs. The conventional route it displaces involves energy-hungry smelting and months of refining; the corresponding downstream refining requirement for the ARBOK concentrate is not described in the source. [требует уточнения из базы]

Key Parameters

| Parameter | Value |

|---|---|

| Process principle | deep vacuum at ambient temperature |

| Process temperature | ambient — no heat supplied; equals feed/ambient temperature |

| Specific energy consumption (water base) | approximately 0.7 kWh/m³ |

| Heat recuperation | up to 98% |

| Water recovery | up to 99.98%, zero liquid discharge |

| Smelter heat / chemistry / pressure | none |

| Filters, membranes, consumables | none |

| Module throughput | 200 m³/day per 20-ft TARK container |

| Configuration | single unit to cascade |

| TRL | 9 (platform) |

| Metals already configured on the same platform | indium, germanium/gallium, REE, rhenium, lithium/cesium/rubidium, copper |

| Iridium-specific selective-recovery step | [требует уточнения из базы] |

| Ir concentration in target feed | [требует уточнения из базы] |

| Ir recovery rate / product purity | [требует уточнения из базы] |

| Service life | [требует уточнения из базы] |

Architecture and Components

Container-module deep-vacuum train — 200 m³/day per 20-ft TARK container — with heat recuperation up to 98%, water condensation and return (up to 99.98%), salt co-product separation, and a metal-specific selective-recovery step. No filters, membranes, pressure vessels, reagent dosing or consumables. Units are deployed singly or in cascade on one water circuit.

Detailed component list of the iridium selective-recovery stage: [требует уточнения из базы].

Advantages

Technical: no smelter heat, no chemistry, no pressure, no filters, membranes or consumables; the same physical platform serves multiple metals with only the selective-recovery step changing, so the iridium configuration inherits an already-validated train.

Economic: fresh water and salt co-products often pay for the plant before the metal revenue even starts — the iridium is recovered on top of an already-paid-for installation. Iridium itself compounds at approximately 27% per year (+700% since 2018), so recovered output appreciates faster than mainstream precious metals.

Environmental: trace PGMs currently carried to the dump in tailings and process water are recovered instead of buried; up to 99.98% water recovery with zero liquid discharge.

Strategic: for a country 100% dependent on imports of the metal that gates its hydrogen economy, every ounce recovered at home is an ounce not bought from a single-source market — 85% of supply is South African, and South African PGM output is already declining.

Integrations

Platform basis: ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking). The source names the metals already configured on the same platform, which map to the existing base entries: ARBOK-Indium, ARBOK-Germanium-Gallium, ARBOK-Scandium-REE, ARBOK-Rhenium, ARBOK-Cesium · ARBOK-Rubidium, ARBOK-Copper-Waters. Precious-metal recovery from mine waters and tailings relates this case to ARBOK-GOLD. Salt co-product handling relates to ARBOK-CRYSTALLIZER.

Tie-in points at site: PGM mine drainage, tailings-water circuits, industrial tailings streams, underground and geothermal brines.

Deployment & Operation

Container modules of 200 m³/day per 20-ft TARK container, installed on existing PGM mine water, tailings water or brine circuits, from a single unit up to a cascade. Operation is at ambient temperature and requires no consumables.

Commissioning sequence, staffing, timeline and commercial structures for the iridium case: [требует уточнения из базы].

TRL

TRL 8 — проставлен Михаилом 2026-08-06.

TRL 9 for the ARBOK Critical-Materials Recovery platform, as stated in the source. The iridium-specific selective-recovery step is not separately rated in the available source: .

Market Potential

• Annual global supply: 7.5 tonnes total. Gold: about 3,000 tonnes a year — iridium is 400 times rarer.
• Approximately 85% of supply comes from South Africa; Russia, Zimbabwe and Canada share the remaining 15%.
• The US is 100% import-reliant.
• Price: approximately $7,250 per troy ounce (July 2026), nearly double the price of gold.
• Price growth: +700% since 2018, an average of approximately 27% per year — no mainstream precious metal has matched that pace.
• PEM electrolyzers for green hydrogen already account for 12% of industrial demand and are climbing fast. Net-zero scenarios require up to 30% of global output for hydrogen alone. Deficit projected as early as 2030.
• Other demand: crucibles for sapphire and semiconductor crystals, OLED screens, spark plugs, deep-sea and space electronics. No substitutes in sight.
• Supply cannot respond to price: iridium is a trace impurity in platinum ores, South African PGM output is declining on deep mines, power cuts and rising costs. Structural deficit by definition.

Typical Project Economics

— the available source contains no module-level economic model for iridium (no feed concentration, output tonnage, CAPEX, OPEX or revenue figures).

Economic framing available from the source: fresh water and salt co-products often pay for the plant before the metal revenue even starts, so the iridium line is incremental. Output valuation reference: approximately $7,250 per troy ounce (July 2026), appreciating at approximately 27% per year on the 2018–2026 trend.

Risk Factors

• Trace-level feedstock. Iridium rides as a trace impurity in platinum ores; the tailings and process waters carry trace PGMs, so volume per site is inherently small and depends on assay.
• Undefined iridium recovery step and grade. The selective-recovery stage, achievable recovery rate and product purity for iridium are not specified in the available source. [требует уточнения из базы]
• Downstream refining. The conventional route requires energy-hungry smelting and months of refining; the refining requirement for the ARBOK iridium concentrate is not described. [требует уточнения из базы]
• Declining host industry. South African PGM output is falling on deep mines, power cuts and rising costs, which also constrains the volume of PGM-bearing water available as feedstock.
• Single-source market concentration. 85% of supply from one country makes both the metal market and the feedstock geography concentrated.
• Price volatility. +700% since 2018 and near-double gold pricing make revenue models highly sensitive to the valuation date.
• Project economics for the iridium case. [требует уточнения из базы]

Related Technologies

ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking) · ARBOK-GOLD · ARBOK-Indium · ARBOK-Rhenium · ARBOK-Germanium-Gallium · ARBOK-Scandium-REE · ARBOK-Cesium · ARBOK-Rubidium · ARBOK-Copper-Waters · ARBOK-CRYSTALLIZER