Terrafame produces special chemicals

IN 2021, OUR subsidiary Terrafame took an important step forward in the value chain by launching a new, globally significant battery chemicals plant. Today, its battery chemicals are used in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars. Terrafame’s production process offers the demanding customers of the battery value chain a transparent chemicals production chain and a proven low carbon footprint already today.

This is Terrafame. 

Nickel and cobalt sulphate for electric car batteries

Full capacity of Terrafame’s battery chemicals plant is sufficient for a significant number of electric cars when a typical 50 kWh battery is used as the base data.

Highly integrated production process

Production at Terrafame is highly integrated – all phases of production are carried out on the same industrial site in Sotkamo, Finland. The company obtains the ore from its own mine and utilises bioleaching based on microbial activity to extract metals from the ore.

Metals recovery is carried out at the company’s own metals production plant. After that, the nickel and cobalt sulphides are further processed at the new battery chemicals plant into nickel and cobalt sulphates used in the production of lithium-ion batteries. The by-product ammonium sulphate is used as a fertiliser or as a raw material for fertilisers. As a multi-metal company, Terrafame also produces zinc and copper sulphides.

The company’s goal is to achieve carbon-neutral production in its own operations by 2039.

Terrafame is part of our group

Finnish Minerals Group owns 56.1% of Terrafame. We manage the state ownership and support our subsidiary’s business operations with active ownership and research and development work.