CRITICAL MINERALS

What are Critical Minerals?

Critical minerals are essential to a country’s economic security, technological advancement, and clean energy transition. They are vital for producing electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, defense technologies, and advanced electronics.

Each country defines its own list of critical minerals based on strategic priorities and supply chain risks.

The Government of Canada currently recognizes 34 minerals and metals as critical to its economic resilience and clean energy future.

Avalon’s diverse portfolio includes several of these minerals — underlined in the list below.

The 34 Critical Minerals:

  • Aluminum
  • Antimony
  • Bismuth
  • Cesium
  • Chromium
  • Cobalt
  • Copper
  • Fluorspar
  • Gallium
  • Germanium
  • Graphite
  • Helium
  • High-purity iron ore
  • Indium
  • Lithium
  • Magnesium
  • Manganese
  • Molybdenum
  • Nickel
  • Niobium
  • Phosphorus
  • Platinum group metals
  • Potash
  • Rare earth elements
  • Scandium
  • Silicon metal
  • Tantalum
  • Tellurium
  • Tin
  • Titanium
  • Tungsten
  • Uranium
  • Vanadium
  • Zinc

Rare Earth Elements

Rare earth elements (REE) are a group that includes 17 metallic elements: the 15 lanthanides on the periodic table, plus yttrium and scandium, which share similar properties and often occur together in nature. These elements are foundational to a wide range of applications—from smartphones and electric vehicles to medical imaging equipment and defense systems.

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Light Rare Earth Elements vs. Heavy Rare Earth Elements

REEs are commonly categorized into two groups based on their atomic characteristics:

Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs):


The term “light” refers to their atomic number, not physical weight. These elements are generally more plentiful in the earth’s crust and are most often extracted from hard rock sources. Their greater natural abundance tends to keep their market prices lower than those of heavy rare earths. The LREE group includes lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), and samarium (Sm). Of these, neodymium and praseodymium are especially crucial for manufacturing permanent magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines.

Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs):


HREEs are vital for technologies that demand high-performance magnetic materials, including EV motors, wind turbine generators, and advanced defense applications. These elements are considered among the most strategically important due to their role in both clean energy systems and national security. The HREE group comprises gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), and yttrium (Y). Notably, terbium (Tb) and dysprosium (Dy) are highly sought after for their unique magnetic properties used in permanent magnets.

Contact

  • Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.
    130 Adelaide St. W, Suite 2060
    Toronto, ON M5H 3P5
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COMPANY

Mark N.J. Ashcroft, P.Eng, is a seasoned professional in the mining, resource and finance sectors with a legacy as a sixth-generation miner, who first went underground at 12 years old. Beginning his career underground in Thompson, MB, he later earned an engineering degree and gained extensive experience across North and South America and Australia. He has held roles in mining operations, corporate development, and finance, including President and CEO of Stonegate Agricom, where he managed a pivotal $51.75 million IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Currently, he is the CEO of Aurelius Minerals Inc., focusing on gold projects in Nova Scotia and Ontario.

Mark’s background includes investment banking and corporate finance positions in London, New York, and Toronto at firms like Barclays Capital, Standard Bank, Versant Partners, and Toll Cross Securities, dealing primarily with resource companies. He has served on various public mining and exploration boards, advising on governance and capital markets. Mark is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario, and holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining Engineering from Laurentian University and a Master of Science in Finance, Regulation, and Risk Management from the University of Reading..

Cindy Hu joined Avalon in 2007. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Hu was a senior manager with the accounting firm Andersen & Company Professional Corporation. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 20 years of experience in public accounting practice and financial reporting, primarily for junior public companies and private wealth management portfolios.

MS. Hu earned her B.Com from Laurentian University in 1996.

Scott Monteith was appointed CEO of Avalon in May 2023. He is an entrepreneur and business owner with a successful track record of moving inventions from ideation to commercial success. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Management from Toronto Metropolitan University and is part of the Young Presidents’ Organization in Ontario with Harvard Business School. 

Mr. Monteith is currently the Chairman of Monteco Ltd., Cable House Capital Ltd. and Imtex Membranes Corporation.

Mr. Monteith has extensive experience in the areas of marketing, manufacturing, technology transfer, technology licensing, new product development, patent management, corporate development, international business, M&A, investing, government affairs, Board Governance and strategic planning. An intuitive individual, he possesses strong communications, team building and management skills.

Mr. Monteith is the founder of Monteco Ltd. and has served as its President and CEO since 1995. Since its inception, Monteco has launched a successful portfolio of companies that include Biox, Imbrium Systems, Green Turtle, Filamat Composites, Imtex Membranes and Optomem Sensors.