American Rare Earths Limited (ASX: ARR) has announced significant progress in the extraction of Rare Earth Elements (REE) from its Halleck Creek project.
Collaborative research with the U.S. Department of Energy and Virginia Tech has resulted in innovative metallurgical studies that could revolutionise the economic viability and sustainability of rare earth element mining.
Key findings from the studies include:
- Two peer-reviewed studies confirm the potential for high-grade, economically viable extraction of REEs from the Halleck Creek ore using low-temperature, direct acid leaching techniques.
- A remarkable recovery rate of 80 per cent of REEs within the first 10 minutes using low-temperature acid leaching, setting a new industry standard for efficiency and environmental responsibility.
- The demonstration is that Halleck Creek ore is more amenable to extraction than traditional sources like monazite or bastnaesite, which require higher temperature processes.
Donald Swartz, Chief Executive Officer of American Rare Earths, expressed his satisfaction with the results, stating: “We’re extremely pleased with the leaching results which further validate the recent scoping study assumptions and our optimism around the project.”
He highlighted the potential for low operating costs and effective extraction of rare earths.
Dr Wencai Zhang, of Virginia Tech, commented on the significance of the results, stating: “The low-crystallinity characteristic of the allanite can significantly reduce the extraction costs of REEs from the deposit. I am very excited about our recent findings.”
American Rare Earths owns the Halleck Creek, WY and La Paz, AZ rare earth deposits which have the potential to become the largest and most sustainable rare earth projects in North America.
The company is developing environmentally friendly and cost-effective extraction and processing methods to meet the rapidly increasing demand for resources essential to the clean energy transition and US national security.
They are also collaborating with US Government-supported R&D to develop efficient processing and separation techniques of rare earth elements to help ensure a renewable future.
