For the last 80 years, titanium has been produced using the Kroll process. Then, in 2017, in a period of three years of research and with just $3 million in investments, scientists developed, improved, and patented a titanium metal alloy production method, the Velta Ti Process, that consumes less energy, has fewer steps, and generates zero waste.

Context/Limitations:

Since 2014, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has been destabilizing the titanium supply chain. For Ukraine, which has one of the largest resources of raw titanium worldwide but depends on offshore processing, this was a huge problem. 

Objectives:

-               Develop a more sustainable and affordable that makes Ukraine, but also other countries, independent from traditional titanium production infrastructure.

-               Build a new factory in the EU and/or US.

-               Produce 10,000 tons of this new material until 2025.

-               Vertical integration, especially in producing metal powders for 3D printing and additive manufacturing.

With their backs to the wall due to the ongoing conflict, Velta introduced a process that’s so innovative, it deserves to be an element of its own. 

Ukrainium™. The strongest element on earth – now more sustainable. It makes many new applications possible: entry-level consumer products, affordable medical supply, sustainable industrial fabrication – all made from the strongest material on the planet, now accessible to everyone.

This new method began with an initial development funded with $3 million. Velta is in talks with several manufacturing companies in Europe and the US to use Ukrainium™ in their production. Due to requiring fewer steps and energy, the new process is highly scalable. With 10,000 tons of Ukrainium™ to be produced annually, the new Velta facility will save 70,000 tons of CO2 per year. Velta is in talks with several US states and EU countries to build several more facilities until 2030.