Tag: Rare Earth Elements

A deep dive into Rincon Resources’ West Arunta project

[ad_1]

Rincon Resources’ exploration of Australia’s newest critical mineral province, the West Arunta Region, has yielded highly promising results thus far.

Rincon Resources is an Australian minerals exploration company with a keen eye on Western Australia’s mineral-rich landscapes, where it has set its sights on unlocking the untapped potential for big copper and rare earth element (REE) deposits.

Boasting a portfolio of highly prospective projects, Rincon is making notable progress, particularly within the dynamic West Arunta region, which is fast earning acclaim as one of Australia’s most exciting critical mineral provinces.

This article offers detailed insight into Rincon’s West Arunta Project, shedding light on its promising copper and REE prospects while highlighting recent developments that underscore its trajectory towards success.

Discovering West Arunta’s mineral wealth

Rincon’s West Arunta Project, spanning over 260km², is located along the Central Australian Suture, a major zone of structural complexity that separates the Aileron and Warumpi Provinces and marks the southern margin of the North Australian Craton (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: Simplified tectonic map of Australia showing craton boundaries and significant regions of Archean and Paleo-Mesoproterozoic rocks. Geological regions after Hutchison (2012); craton boundaries after Cawood and Korsch (2008)

Renowned for its geological significance, this region has witnessed a recent surge in exploration activity, highlighted by WA1 Resources’ 2022 discovery of the massive high-grade ‘Luni’ niobium/REE deposit, which, alongside its well-documented copper, gold, and uranium prospects, has catapulted the area into the spotlight.

Historic exploration and potential at West Arunta

The West Arunta Project brags a rich history of exploration, supported by Ashburton Minerals’ pivotal and recent advancements of widespread significant copper mineralisation at Pokali, validating it as an Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) system during the mid-2000s.

Notable historical drilling results include: 14m @ 1.01% Cu from 168m (PKC024), contained within a mineralised zone of 62m @ 0.39% Cu, and 6m @ 1.36% Cu from 100m within a mineralised zone of 32m @ 0.46% Cu (PKC023).

Unearthing potential in 2021

In 2021, amidst negotiations with the Kiwirrkurra People for land access, Rincon focused on establishing the groundwork for a robust exploration campaign. This involved conducting photo-geological mapping, site reconnaissance, rock-chip sampling, and target generation, as well as acquiring, re-processing, and interpreting historical geophysical datasets.

The photo-geological mapping exercise unveiled more than twenty initial target areas warranting further investigation, whilst geophysical data re-processing and interpretation offered new and valuable insights into the project’s structural framework, guiding Rincon’s early exploration approach.

Paving the way for 2022

Building upon its 2021 technical successes, Rincon expanded its project landholding by acquiring additional exploration licenses and secured its first co-funding grant of $150,000 through the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) for a maiden diamond drilling programme, demonstrating its dedicated pursuit of regional exploration advancement.

Fig. 2: Drilling by Ashburton Minerals identified widespread copper mineralisation (>= 0.3% Cu) at Pokali East/South (6/1.36 = 6 @ 1.36% Cu)

Following the eventual execution of a Land Access Agreement with the Kiwirrkurra People, the company promptly commenced a heritage clearance survey, a vital precursor to the planned EIS co-funded diamond drilling programme. The West Arunta Project was gearing up for a significant exploration phase in late 2022.

Progressing through 2022

Rincon intensified its focus on IOCG-style copper mineralisation, elevating thirteen of its initial twenty targets for further investigation. Central to this effort was the Pokali Prospect, where plans were now well underway for an inaugural RC and diamond drilling campaign to test two high-priority gravity targets at the earliest opportunity.

The final step before turning the drill bit was obtaining a Ministerial Entry Permit and a Consent to Mine endorsement from relevant Government departments. These were received in October 2022, ultimately too late to commence drilling that year, but permitted the company to conduct its first site reconnaissance visit and an airborne geophysics survey.

Advancements in 2023: The hunt for REEs commences

Entering 2023, Rincon’s operations regained momentum as results from an airborne geophysics survey identified several new anomaly areas east of Pokali. Mapping and rock-chip sampling efforts also unveiled significant gold, copper, and silver findings at Pokali East, alongside a promising new REE zone of interest at Pokali North. Notable rock-chip results reported by the company include:

Pokali East

KWRK075 – 9.23% Cu
KRWK001 – 5.71% Cu, 5.75g/t Au & 5.25g/t Ag
KWRK043 – 1.20% Cu, 2.87g/t Au & 5.07g/t Ag

Pokali North

KWRK094 – 0.48% TREO
KWRK104 – 0.43% TREO
KWRK070 – 0.29% TREO
KWRK107 – 0.26% TREO
KWRK017 – 11.2g/t Ag
KWRK020 – 10.7g/t Ag

The initial REE result of 0.29% (2,900 ppm) TREO at Pokali North spurred the company to adopt a dual exploration strategy focusing on both copper and REEs. Remarkably, the REE anomalism is also proximally adjacent to the high-grade copper mineralisation at Pokali East, together forming a combined copper/REE system spanning over five kilometres in strike length, emphasising the significant scale of the system.

In light of the new findings showcasing the extensive and diverse mineralisation throughout the entire outcropping area of Pokali, the company enlisted an independent expert geochemist to review and interpret both its new and existing geochemical datasets.

Unsurpisingly, the review confirmed there was a massive hydrothermally driven mineralisation system at Pokali, characterised by two distinct and discrete metal zonations derived from separate fluid source types, oxidising (Pokali East) or reducing (Pokali North).

A copper-gold-silver dominant system exists at Pokali East, as expected. This is contrasted by a tin-tungsten dominant system at Pokali North.

Fig. 3: Pokali Prospect showing target areas, metal systems, significant rockchip results and REE trends

Put simply, there was at least two separate magmatic intrusion events that pumped in mineralising fluids dominantly enriched with copper-gold-silver or tin-tungsten respectively.

Notwithstanding this, Rincon also thinks there’s a seperate carbonatite intrusion not far away from Pokali North that delivered the REE enrichment, thought to be overprinting the tin-tungsten system.

The excitement on the Rincon team is now growing exponentially with the potential of discovering a major deposit!

Unforeseen challenges and silver linings

Following the completion of a second heritage clearance survey in September 2023, the company swiftly mobilised to the site in late November to begin its highly anticipated diamond drilling programme to test two deep high-priority gravity targets beneath the metal zonation areas with the aim of discovering rich lodes of copper, gold, or REE’s.

Unfortunately, despite careful planning, Rincon encountered unforeseen challenges during on-site preparations for drilling. The onset of Australia’s northern wet season forced the deferral of the programme into 2024.

Despite the setback, Rincon remained steadfast in its commitment to delivering value. Positive results from additional rock-chip sampling completed just ahead of the planned drilling programme reinforced the project’s potential, with additional positive REE results confirming new subtle REE trends that appear to coincide with key structural corridors (Fig. 3).

Pioneering ahead

Entering 2024, Rincon Resources sets the stage for significant developments at the West Arunta Project, with the eagerly anticipated diamond drilling programme scheduled to commence in late February. Moreover, Rincon has plans to conduct high-resolution ground gravity, induced polarisation, and passive seismic surveys, along with regional site reconnaissance mapping and sampling over several other priority targets within its project area throughout 2024.

Rincon remains resolutely committed to unlocking the abundant potential of copper and REEs in Western Australia’s mineral-rich landscapes, with its West Arunta Project emerging as a standout early exploration play. The journey thus far, characterised by successes, hurdles, and resilience, paves the way for an opportune new phase in the exploration of copper and REEs within one of Australia’s most auspicious mineral provinces.

Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 23, 2024
Developing Canada’s critical minerals processing capabilities

[ad_1]

Determined to complete the battery value chain that is crucial to Canada’s net-zero future, BMAC is conducting an analysis of Canada’s critical minerals processing capabilities.

Determined to realise Canada’s net zero future, in 2022, the Battery Metals Association of Canada (BMAC) released a roadmap for Canada’s battery value chain. In collaboration with the Energy Futures Lab, Accelerate ZEV, and The Transition Accelerator, this roadmap presents a national strategy to enable Canada to leverage its abundant mineral resources while also driving its net-zero future. Critical materials go together with the green transition, with a thriving electric vehicle market necessitating an abundance of materials such as nickel, lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, to name a few.

Canada is rich in its quantity and variety of critical materials and could easily become a leading global supplier with the development of refining and production capacities. The roadmap is a comprehensive analysis of the Canadian battery supply chain and its potential, including specific timetables and targets for production, as well as a detailed action plan of the intricacies, challenges, and steps to be taken.

Direction of the roadmap

The action plan targets four goals, the first of which considers maximising the development and refining of Canada’s critical materials. This is a crucial aspect of Canada’s Critical Minerals strategy, aiming to improve access and increase supply by supporting the exploration of new projects, which can take up to 15 years, while also expanding the development of existing projects.

Goal two pertains to the chemical step of the battery supply chain, proposing the development of a world-leading processing industry. The third focus similarly considers the midstream of the battery production chain, evaluating Canada’s manufacturing potential and the opportunities to further engage in and improve production lines. Recognising the ever-increasing demand for batteries and new battery technologies, this is an area in which Canada, with its extensive innovative capabilities, could flourish.

The roadmap’s fourth and final goal is recycling and completing the battery supply chain. A truly sustainable battery chain requires the circularity of resources. BMAC’s roadmap discusses the value of establishing a closed-loop battery recycling industry that will enable Canada to sustain the supply chain – and the demand it intends to meet – in the long term.

Regarding all four goals, BMAC seeks to understand the realities of efficient and competitive implementation: The required investment, technological advances, and potential legislation. Such a comprehensive discussion highlights Canada’s potential to establish a successful, integrated battery supply chain that will attract foreign investment and foster innovation while striving towards a global net-zero economy.

The focus on Canada’s critical minerals processing capabilities

The roadmap concluded by presenting its findings, identifying and prioritising the next steps. One of the key findings was the need to develop mid-stream critical minerals processing capabilities that would address Canada’s current gap in the supply chain. For instance, lithium processing transforms the mineral extracted from spodumene and brines into battery-grade lithium.

Currently, the world’s lithium processing capabilities are dominated by Asia, requiring mined lithium to be exported for refining and processing before being imported for battery manufacture. The lack of domestic processing capacity in Canada is complicating the supply chain. With such a wealth of mineral resources, the logical next step is developing a world-leading chemical industry, therefore completing the supply chain from extraction to production. This will enable Canada to maximise its resources, support Canadian battery firms and create new export potential.

The analysis

In response to this finding, BMAC is now conducting an analysis of critical minerals processing capabilities in Canada. The aim is to identify the ideal methods to successfully implement material processing capacities in a globally competitive and preferably net-zero manner.

The analysis will focus on eight key materials: Lithium, nickel, copper, graphite, iron, phosphate, vanadium, and rare earth elements (REEs).

The eight key materials

There is a degree of uncertainty around which battery chemistries will dominate the market in the future. Those currently in use, like the nickel-rich higher energy batteries, require substantial amounts of nickel and cobalt, which are expensive to source. The move to lithium-iron-phosphate batteries in the electric vehicle industry is less costly but cannot provide the same energy density. Plenty of innovation is still required, and Canada can be best prepared by investigating a variety of materials that are likely to be employed in new applications.

For each of the chosen materials, BMAC has recruited specific industry experts to provide input on the ideal processing methods and technologies pertaining to the types and grades of the materials in Canada. Through a series of interactive online workshops, BMAC has engaged with expert feedback before utilising their knowledge through vetting the resultant flowsheets.

These critical materials will be evaluated against key questions to determine where and how would be most efficient and sustainable to process them.

What are the opportunities for Canada to process those critical materials?

A significant factor to consider is where there is active mining or exploring mining potential in Canada. Those places already in operation may be best placed for critical minerals processing possibilities, limiting the distance domestic materials travel for refining and processing.

Where are the optimal regions geographically to do it?

The criteria for identifying the optimal regions for processing capabilities have not yet been determined. Moreover, there is likely not a single set of criteria but multiple considerations that will vary between metals. However, each group of metals experts will provide a set of recommendations. This is only the beginning, as BMAC will also be doing follow-up work to further examine and define potential opportunities, specifically regarding the development of battery hubs in Western Canada.

© shutterstock/Fahroni

What are the least carbon-intensive approaches?

The roadmap aims to establish a competitive yet sustainable battery metals supply chain. Though crucial to our net-zero future, existing battery supply chains are carbon-intensive and detrimental to the environment. BMAC recognises that the future of battery supply chains lies with a reduction in carbon footprint and that strengthening Canada’s position in the global battery market should be conducted in a manner that will also secure its longevity. To achieve this, the analysis intends to address areas for improvement across the supply chain and identify strategies to mitigate the carbon intensity of processing each of the key materials, addressing areas such as technology, travel, and energy efficiency. In itself, developing critical minerals processing facilities in Canada would create a local supply chain, drastically reducing the carbon footprint of extracted metals that are exported for processing.

Separately, another project BMAC seeks to initiate involves ESG modelling and calculations for the Canadian value chain. These calculations have great complexity, so the analysis will begin by considering the carbon element. Eventually, this work could investigate the other potential impacts of developing processing facilities, including the ramifications on local communities, the economy and future legislation.

What is the ideal flow of the materials from extraction to production?

Consideration of the ideal flow of materials is a crucial part of every production and co-ordination process, referring to the efficient movement of materials throughout the entire supply chain. Essentially, ideal flow equals the lowest impact yet most competitive design, avoiding delays, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency. This will strive to discover the solutions with the lowest environmental impact – working towards the net zero goal and proving the most cost-effective and efficient.

Each material has unique aspects that require it to be addressed individually and comprehensively – as is most easily demonstrated by Canada’s lithium deposits.

© shutterstock/Juan Roballo

Canada has significant lithium resources in the form of both spodumene and brine. The east is home to primarily hard rock spodumene deposits, which are mined before undergoing leaching and purification to produce battery-grade lithium. In the West, brine-based lithium resources hold lithium dissolved in water. Direct lithium extraction (DLE) is revolutionising the brine-based lithium industry, and a variety of startups are positioned to mass-produce lithium by 2025-2027.

Consequently, in its analysis of lithium, BMAC’s work is intended to address the development of these two completely disparate processes. Flowsheets for both hard rock and brine-based lithium will be produced since the supply from both will likely be necessary in order to meet increasing demand. Therefore, the report will not recommend one source over the other, but instead, it will identify whether one is more suitable than the other for specific processes.

Outcome

The roadmap wanted to address what was required to both replicate Canada’s existing 10% share of the North American automotive market and meet the government mandate of 100% ZEV light-duty vehicles by 2035. Developing Canada’s critical minerals processing capabilities is crucial for achieving these goals, as well as for enabling a sustainable value chain.

It is difficult to determine a specific timeline for completing a local value chain in Canada. Several unknown factors are responsible for this, primarily that we do not yet know the battery chemistries Canada will produce and, therefore, the demand for the relevant materials. Arguably, the value chain does not need to be wholly completed for all key materials, as there is likely to be cross-border collaboration in the production of EVs across North America.

BMAC’s metals strategies will identify the opportunities for developing Canada’s mid-stream processing capacities, identifying key regions and ideal processes that can be implemented to bridge the gap, and take materials from extraction through production.

The analysis hopes to provide comprehensive flowsheets that can direct Canada’s battery value chain. BMAC anticipates these strategies will be released around mid-2024, with the follow-up work of the value chain opportunities for Western Canada completed by the end of the year.

Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 22, 2024
A paradigm shift in the rare earths market
[ad_1]
With exciting new projects on the horizon and a plethora of promising results firmly under their belt, Brazilian Rare Earths is a forerunner in the Australian rare earths industry.

After making a significant impact as the largest resources IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in 2023, Brazilian Rare Earths (BRE) has rapidly solidified its position as the most prospective and potentially high-grade rare earths project globally, with all the necessary elements in place for the company’s project to become the preeminent rare earths province worldwide. Brazilian Rare Earths is situated in a tier-one mining jurisdiction. It controls an extensive portfolio of mining tenements spanning over 4,000km², covering almost the entirety of the Rocha da Rocha Critical Minerals Province. The project enjoys close proximity to excellent infrastructure with access to hydroelectric energy, sealed roads and nearby ports.

The Board and Senior management team comprises a group of highly experienced executives with substantial in-country experience and a stellar track record in creating shareholder value and operating mining assets. With founders and the Board still holding around 60% of the company’s shares, most of which are locked up for two years, it is clear that management is entirely aligned with shareholders and committed to the long haul.

Furthermore, BRE is well-funded, having successfully completed a significantly oversubscribed Initial Public Offering (IPO) of AU$50m at AU$1.47 per share on the ASX. The IPO attracted exceptionally high-quality investors, including Gina Reinhardt’s Hancock Prospecting, coal giant Whitehaven Coal, top institutional funds, and several large family offices.

Fig. 1: Rocha da Rocha Province geophysical map – existing BRE exploration licences (blue), Sulista Project (green) and exploration licences under application (yellow)

Promising results

It is no surprise that Brazilian Rare Earths attracted such a star-studded register! While many listed companies boast projects with grades measured in parts per million (ppm),¹ and the very best projects in operation today, such as Lynas’ Mt. Weld and MP Materials’ Mountain Pass, have grades ranging from approximately 6-8% Total Rare Earths Oxides (TREO),² BRE has recently announced significant intercepts as high as 34% TREO and as they say ‘grade is king!’ In fact, the weighted average of BRE’s recently published diamond drilling results in their ultra-high-grade Monte Alto Project was 18.8% TREO. Fig. 2 below illustrates how these average intercepted grades compare to the JORC Reserve grades of the major rare earth deposits globally.

Fig. 2: Source: Canaccord Genuity Research Report 12 February 2024

However, a closer examination of these numbers reveals that these results are even more exceptional than they initially appear. It’s important for readers to understand that rare earths consist of 17 chemical elements with vastly different uses and values. For example, cerium (Ce) trades for only a few dollars per kilo, while terbium (Tb) trades for over US$1,000 per kg. With the global shift towards sustainable energy, rare earth elements (REE) are increasingly vital, especially in manufacturing high-strength permanent magnets for electric vehicles and wind turbines.

The BRE approach to grades

The so-called ‘light magnet rare earths’ neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr), as well as the ‘heavy magnet rare earths’ dysprosium (Dy) and terbium, are expected to be in high demand going forward, with many specialists predicting significant supply deficits and material price appreciation. Rather than being focused on head grades (TREO), what’s important is to examine the underlying grades of the individual rare earth elements that make up the TREO. For example, a project with a very high TREO count composed entirely of Ce may be far less valuable than a project with a lower grade consisting entirely of Tb, given that Tb tends to trade at roughly 1,000 times the price of cerium currently.

To put this in context, the average Nd+Pr grades intersected by BRE stand at an eye-watering 3.0%, higher than most developers’ total grade! Meanwhile, the average Dy+Tb grade stands at 0.15%. By comparison, Northern Minerals Limited (ASX: NTU) has the highest DyTb grades in Australia at 0.073%.

On the other hand, BRE not only has incredibly high levels of NdPr and DyTb but also significant levels of other extremely valuable elements such as Scandium (Sc) at 193 ppm and Niobium (Nb) at 0.6%, making the BRE-controlled Rocha da Rocha Critical Minerals Province one of the most exciting geological discoveries globally!

Priority exploration programmes

Additionally, BRE recently announced the acquisition of the Sulista Rare Earths Project, some 80km southwest of Monte Alto, see Fig. 1. On-site reconnaissance sampling of the hard rock outcrops and corestones/boulders recorded gamma spectrometry readings at three distinct sites within the same range as those obtained for the ultra-high grade REE-Nb-Sc mineralisation near the Monte Alto Project, suggesting the Sulista Project has the potential to host several ultra-high-grade deposits like Monte Alto.

BRE’s exploration team believes that this unique high-grade REE-Nb-Sc mineralisation is provincial in scale and that there is outstanding potential for new high-grade rare earth discoveries along the entire geophysical trendline that runs down the extensive spine of this world-class province.

BRE recently commenced a diamond drill programme at the Velinhas target, located seven kilometres to the south of Monte Alto (see Fig. 1), and has mobilised diamond drill rigs to target high-grade REE-Nb-Sc mineralisation at the Sulista Project, where three distinct high-grade targets have been identified. These priority exploration programmes will be followed by an increasing number of highly prospective regional drill targets.

Geopolitical Significance

Currently, both the European Union, through its European Green Deal and recently enacted Critical Raw Materials Act, and the United States, through the Inflation Reduction Act, are moving in the same direction, aligning their strategies and priorities. A significant focus of these superpowers is to end China’s dominance of the world’s critical minerals industry and to promote Western sources of these important elements.

BRE holds strategic significance for Western end users due to the absence of current production sources for heavy rare earths outside China and Myanmar. This situation is a cause for concern among several Western governments, as many crucial military applications rely on technologies dependent on heavy rare earths. Moreover, the fact that the primary source of these materials is China amplifies the anxiety surrounding supply chain security. BRE has the scale to solve much of the Western world’s need for these critical elements, the right team to execute the strategy, and the investors to get there!

References
1. 10,000ppm=1%
2. TREO = La2O3 + CeO2 + Pr6O₁₁+ Nd2O3 + Sm2O3 + Eu2O3 + Gd2O3 + Tb4O7 + D_y2O3 + Ho2O3 + Er2O3 + Tm2O3 + Yb2O3 + Y2O3 + Lu2O3
Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.
[ad_2]

Source link
February 21, 2024
EU and Rwanda strike deal for raw materials value chains

[ad_1]

The European Union and Rwanda have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on establishing sustainable raw materials value chains.

Signed by Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, and Vincent Biruta, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the MoU will help ensure sustainable and robust raw materials value chains for the EU and enhance Rwanda’s role in Africa’s sustainable development.

The deal will be instrumental for the EU in securing the essential raw materials that are vital for developing green technologies and delivering clean energy objectives.

The MoU follows the EU’s recent raw materials partnerships with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Zambia, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Greenland, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.

Urpilainen commented: “Today’s signing underscores Rwanda’s commitment to unlocking the full potential of our mining sector while contributing to the supply of critical minerals required to transition towards a greener, more sustainable global economy.

“This agreement further guarantees the quality and traceability of our raw materials, reaffirming Rwanda as a reliable partner in international trade. Rwanda values its partnership with the EU and looks forward to further strengthening our growing cooperation.”

Rwanda’s raw materials resources

Rwanda’s economy relies heavily on its mineral value chains, with the nation holding a significant position in the global tantalum extraction market.

Alongside tantalum, Rwanda extracts tin, tungsten, gold, and niobium, with promising prospects for lithium and rare earth elements.

© shutterstock/RHJPhtotos_

With its conducive investment environment and adherence to the rule of law, Rwanda is poised to emerge as a pivotal centre for value addition within the mineral sector.

Notably, the country already hosts a gold refinery, and plans are underway to operate a tantalum refinery. Moreover, Rwanda boasts Africa’s sole active tin smelting facility, further cementing its importance in the region’s mineral processing landscape.

Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, added: “Rwanda is an important provider of tantalum, tin, tungsten, gold and niobium, and has potential for lithium and rare earth elements.

“With this mutually beneficial partnership, we aim to build a resilient and sustainable critical raw materials value chain covering extraction, refining, processing, recycling and substitution.

“Transparency, traceability and investment are at the core of the EU-Rwanda critical raw materials partnership.”

What is outlined in the MoU?

The MoU establishes close cooperation between the EU and Rwanda in five key areas.

Firstly, it focuses on the integration of sustainable raw materials value chains and support for economic diversification, with an emphasis on ensuring the effective functioning and sustainability of these value chains.

Secondly, the MoU outlines cooperation to achieve sustainable and responsible production and valorisation of critical and strategic raw materials. This entails implementing increased due diligence and traceability measures, collaborating to combat the illegal trafficking of raw materials, and aligning with international ESG standards.

Thirdly, the parties agree to mobilise funding to deploy the infrastructure necessary for the development of raw material value chains. This includes efforts to improve the investment climate to attract necessary investments.

Additionally, the MoU highlights the importance of research and innovation, as well as the sharing of knowledge and technologies related to sustainable exploration, extraction, refining, processing, valorisation, and recycling of critical and strategic raw materials. It also emphasises the need for research into material substitution, waste management, and monitoring of supply risks.

Lastly, the MoU addresses the building of capacity to enforce relevant rules, emphasising the need to increase training and skills related to the critical and strategic raw materials value chain. This involves enhancing the capabilities of regulatory bodies and personnel involved in overseeing these processes.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 20, 2024
Developing Brazil’s critical mineral deposits

[ad_1]

Brazilian Critical Minerals is an emerging Brazilian rare earth and platinum group metal developer set for rapid growth.

Brazilian Critical Minerals (BCM-ASX) is an Australian technology and critical mineral developer with strategic assets in Amazonas, Brazil, near the Town of Apui. The very large portfolio contains one platinum group metal (PGM) project covering slightly over 340 hectares and three rare earth element (REE) projects covering approximately 720km².

Its Três Estados PGM discovery, which is only 9% explored, currently has a 725,300-ounce JORC resource containing gold (Au), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), and rhodium (Rh), and its EMA and ENE Apui REE discoveries are in the final stages of calculating a JORC resource for both, with Eme being the largest.

The company began in 2011 as BBX Minerals with what was believed to be two gold discoveries – Ema and Três Estados. The company name has recently been changed from BBX Minerals to Brazilian Critical Minerals. Given that the company now pursues advanced technology, PGMs and REEs, the name Brazilian Critical Minerals perfectly describes what the company is all about. Striving for sustainability and providing critical elements for achieving a carbon-neutral future.

The rare earth discovery at Ema changed the course of the company both because of its grade and the fact that the deposit was ionic. Hence, the search for more rare earths in the surrounding area began in earnest, staking rare earths on nine separate tenements, later split into three projects:

•   EMA PROJECT (Ema and Ema East) with 189km² of felsic volcanics, rhyolite, with regolith-hosted ionic adsorbed clay rare earths confirmed by ammonium sulphate leach tests. Similar to the Chinese REE deposits.
•   APUI REE PROJECT with 358km² to be explored for REEs hosted in regolith developed over sediments with a specific radiometric signature, similar to the Makuutu deposit in Uganda.
•   APUI ENE REE PROJECT with 173km² of flat-lying sediment, which is older than those at the APUI REE PROJECT. The first unit that was drill tested at APUI 2400 ppm.

EMA ionic REE project: Chinese-style

An aggressive exploration programme for ionic rare earths following up the discovery of REEs in the felsic volcanics and pyroclastics regolith at Ema was conducted on the Ema and Ema East leases.

The EMA iREE project (Ema and Ema East leases) is unique amongst Brazilian REE projects in that it shares almost identical characteristics with the iREE deposits developed over felsic volcanic rocks in southwest China, the world´s largest known ionic clay region.

These leases comprise 189km² of felsic volcanic over which 142 auger holes totalling 2,048m have been completed to date. A further 53 auger holes totalling 701m have been completed at Ema East, testing a total of 82km² or 43% of the regolith developed over the felsic volcanics (Fig. 2).

Fig.2: Ema-Ema East REE project – auger holes on 800m centres and infill drilling status over 82km²

The initial results for 39 auger holes from the regional reconnaissance programme showed the presence of exceptional iREE grades of less than three metres in excess of 1,200 ppm TREO (e.g. TR-059 (Table 1), with accompanying elevated values of NdPr oxides, demonstrating the presence of high-grade zones within this major and widespread ionic rare earth deposit, which remains open in all directions (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3: Apui and Apui ENE projects – drilling status showing ternary radiometric response

TREO grades >1,000 ppm are widespread, containing >100 ppm NdPr and ten ppm TbDy oxides. All holes that intersected the enriched iREE horizon ended in high TREO values, indicating significant upside potential for high-grade material at depth.

Significant results:

•   Six metres @ 1003 ppm TREO from six metres (TR-043), including three metres @ 1191ppm TREO ending in 1135 ppm TREO
•   Seven metres @ 1015 ppm TREO from six metres (TR-050), including three metres @ 1266 ppm TREO ending in 988 ppm TREO
•   Six metres @ 812 ppm TREO from six metres (TR-051), including two metres @ 1122 ppm TREO ending in 1182 ppm TREO
•   16 metres @ 771 ppm TREO from one metre, including three metres @ 1282 ppm (TR-059) ending in 88 8ppm TREO
•   16 metres @ 739 ppm TREO from nine metres (TR-66) including four metres @ 1120 ppm TREO ending in 1352 ppm TREO
•   16 metres @ 849 ppm TREO from two metres (TR-71) including two metres @ 1104 ppm TREO ending in 1083 ppm TREO

APUI EN REE project

A regional reconnaissance auger drilling conducted within two leases recently granted (Fig. 4) east of Apuí located a new style of REE mineralisation associated with a sedimentary unit rich in potash. The highest-grade portion of hole APTR 013 coincides with a potash-rich zone, grading approximately 7% K2O (Table 1), interpreted as being related to a potassium-rich sedimentary horizon, potentially of significant areal extent. The hole was terminated at 12m in strongly mineralised saprolite, grading 1804 ppm TREO. The multi-element distribution along the auger hole APTR013 (Table 1) indicates that the highest TREO grades from seven metres downhole are directly correlated with potash-rich sediment (7% K2O) anomalous in rubidium, with silica and iron contents typical of a mature glauconitic sandstone which occurs in extensive marine sediments. Glauconite decomposes into halloysite, kaolin and smectite, where REEs may be ionic or colloidally hosted. Uranium and thorium are low and compatible with ionic rare earth mineralisation.

Significant results:

•   12 metres @ 1,380 ppm TREO from the surface, including five meters @ 1,942 ppm TREO from seven metres (APTR 013)
•   Three metres @ 1,130 ppm TREO from the surface (APTR 014)
•   Four metres @ 908 ppm TREO from the surface (APTR 018)

Três Estados precious metals project

Tres Estados started life as a gold project with assaying difficulties, and even though native metal that resembled could be seen in the core, fire assays could not detect gold or silver. It turned out, after much SEM work, the native metal was a unique alloy containing gold, platinum, copper, lead and occasional minimal amounts of osmium and iridium, which readily explained why fire assay did not work – so what would work was there an assay method for this type of metal occurrence.

There were metallurgical tests using smelting methods utilising five-kilogramme mineral samples and copper sulphate that did return assays for precious metals. These metallurgical tests were expensive and could not be used as an assay for JORC purposes, so an assay method needed to be developed.

After many years, a nickel smelt prep followed by a fire assay was developed and accepted as an assay procedure. This procedure required ten grams of mineral to be combined with laboratory-grade nickel and several fluxes to be brought to 15400C for ten minutes, which formed a nickel button. The nickel button was then dissolved in four different acids and fire-assayed for Au, Pd, Pt, Ir, and Rh, the sum of which was the basis for the existing resource, containing 725,300 ounces of combined gold, platinum, palladium, iridium, and rhodium. While the overall grade was above one gram and quite valuable because of the rhodium and iridium, the company, believing there was more there and the assays were understating the metal content, began looking for enhancements and a production method.

Ecobiome, a microbe leaching company based in Texas, came to management’s attention as a way to enhance the recovery and work as a process solution. Testing began in late 2022 and was finalised in June of 2023, indicating that Ecobiome’s proprietary microbes could achieve both enhanced recovery and production.

The final test was conducted in May of 2023 utilising drill hole TED-20, a Três Estados metallurgical test hole. The result of a 108-hour leach test utilising two of EcoBiome’s microbes that were designed to work in tandem, with one breaking down the mineral particles and the other recovering the precious metals. The results were spectacular, with a ten-fold increase in metal recovered over the nickel smelt assay. What was then BBX’s Catalão lab received 50kg of the bioleached matter for further production and recovery test work. Ultimately, of the plus 16 grams of gold and palladium released by bioleach 98% of the gold was recovered and 94% of the palladium was recovered by cyanide leaching method apply to the bioleached material. From this work, a decision was made to utilise Ecobiome’s bioleaching process to aid in re-assaying the Tres Estados resource starting at Tabocal.

All the necessary laboratory equipment and infrastructure for conducting bioleach assaying and pilot plant testing has been acquired, assembled and commissioned in the Catalão laboratory. The equipment includes nine 35-litre reactors for conducting bioleach assays (see Fig. 4) and a larger pilot plant reactor. The finalisation of the importation of the required materials from EcoBiome in Texas is currently in progress, with the commencement of routine assaying of Três Estados drill holes scheduled for early Q1 2024.

Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 19, 2024
US and allied nations progressing rare earth recovery

[ad_1]

Rare Element Resources is working to establish US-based rare earth production using innovative recovery and separation technology.

Forty years ago, China understood something long before the rest of the world – rare earths were going to drive the future of technology. This realisation led to a calculated strategy to establish control of the up-and-coming rare earth market – from mines to magnets. This critical mineral monopoly, with over 85% of the processing and separation and 92% of the rare earth magnet production, has given China unfettered political and economic power, not to mention access to intellectual property and emerging technology from companies who had no choice but to relocate manufacturing to China to ensure a reliable supply of rare earths.

This provides China with increased control of pricing and market supply, providing a stronghold that creates economic and strategic advantages and prevents market entry by the competition. Their control has allowed them to weaponise the export of products throughout the supply chain to force political priorities – as they did to Japan in 2010 after a fishing boat conflict near the contested Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands – undermine diplomatic channels, control economic diversification, and threaten the national security of other nations.

Rare earth applications are everywhere

To appreciate the effects of China’s dominance, one must appreciate how prevalent rare earths are in our everyday lives.

Every computer, every cellular phone and most of the controls for the systems in your car, as well as your home and office equipment, depend on rare earths. That is just the beginning.

Defence applications include laser weapons, satellite communications, sonar and guidance systems, and stealth technology.

On a broader basis, they are used in medical imaging technology, catalytic converters, petroleum refining and nuclear control systems and are crucial in the evolving green technologies that are essential to reaching global carbon reduction goals, such as electric cars and direct-drive wind turbines.

Rare earths’ unique characteristics enhance the performance of other metals, allowing products to be smaller and more efficient. The quantity of rare earths used in high-tech products is, in fact, very small but is almost always critical to the unit’s performance.

A typical smartphone uses seven rare earth elements for functions ranging from the coloured screen to its speakers to the miniaturisation of the phone’s circuitry.

While each of the 17 rare earth elements has important applications in everyday life, the most important elements necessary to reach decarbonisation goals and those required for defence applications are found in a permanent magnet motor. Neodymium/iron/boron (NdFeB) magnets are used in electric synchronous traction motors, which are key components for both electric vehicles (EVs) and direct-drive wind turbines.

These magnets have the best power-to-weight ratio of all magnets, allowing the motors to be lighter and more compact. They are also corrosion-resistant, can operate at high temperatures and resist demagnetisation. They are the strongest type of permanent magnet available commercially. The magnetic energy value is approximately 12 times greater than ‘ordinary’ ferrite magnets by mass. Dysprosium (Dy), praseodymium (Pr), and terbium (Tb) can also be added to NdFeB to change the performance properties of the magnets.

Rare Element Resources can help to reduce the risk

Rare Element Resources (RER) has two important things it brings to the table. First is an innovative rare earth recovery and separation technology that has successfully produced separated rare earth oxides, demonstrating economic and environmental improvements over traditional recovery methods.

The second is the Bear Lodge Rare Earth project in northeast Wyoming – one of the most advanced and significant rare earth deposits in North America. Bear Lodge is rich in rare earths critical for the high-strength, permanent magnets that drive a majority of new technology applications.

Innovative rare earth recovery technology – working with outstanding partners

RER’s technological advancements are a direct result of its collaboration with General Atomics (GA), a private defence and diversified technology industry leader. GA has assembled a team of some of the best scientists and engineers in the industry to advance what was a novel concept into a working reality.

Fig. 1: Source: U.S. DOE, Critical Materials Assessment 2023, July 2023

Today, the GA-led team, which includes financial participation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Wyoming Energy Authority, is constructing a $44m rare earth recovery and separation demonstration plant in Upton, WY. This plant will process already stockpiled materials from the company’s Bear Lodge project. It will allow the scaleup of the technology, providing an opportunity for additional testing and refinement while generating the design and economic data for commercial-scale production.

GA’s involvement in RER has allowed the company to move forward more expediently than it could have achieved alone. Acutely aware of the importance of rare earths in defence and commercial applications, GA understood early on how critical it was going to be to develop secure, domestic sources of rare earths.

In support of that, they took an equity position in the company in 2017. Since then, GA has increased awareness of the company and the Bear Lodge project and ensured alignment with the strategic interests in the key industries of defence and energy.

As allied nations pursue multiple avenues to address the economic, environmental, and security risks identified as critical in the global rare earth supply chain, RER and GA continue to make major advancements in modernising recovery technology.

Innovative rare earth recovery technology – a new approach long overdue

Traditional rare earth recovery methods have long been criticised for the quantity of water required and the amount of waste generated. China’s rise was supported by its willingness to trade environmental protection for commercial dominance. With the robust regulatory requirements of operating in the US and other allied countries, it was clear a different approach would be required.

The four-step recovery and separation technology, initiated by RER and advanced by the GA-led team, is a closed system and is designed to be a zero-discharge process. This means that a majority of the water and chemicals used in the process are recycled through the system, which is expected to result in both environmental and economic benefits. The team has also augmented the process with advanced control systems for discrete optimisation of each stage of the process.

Two pilot plant tests were completed in Germany in 2022 at a GA affiliate. The focus was on producing a commercial-grade separated neodymium/praseodymium (Nd/Pr) product – an essential component of high-strength, permanent magnets and the elements expected to experience the highest demand growth over the next 30 years as countries move to reduce their carbon footprint.

The work resulted in not only a >99.5% pure Nd/Pr product but also demonstrated the ability to separate other rare earth elements, including lanthanum (La). Additionally, two concentrates were produced, one that included samarium (Sm), europium (Eu) and gadolinium (Gd), or SEG, and one that included the heavy rare earths, or HREEs.

Construction underway on $44m demonstration plant in Upton, WY

The success of this work resulted in the decision to proceed to a demonstration-scale plant, which is currently under construction in Wyoming. Scaling up the technology will allow for additional refinement of the process, create the framework for commercial production, and provide the opportunity for further innovation. GA, with its strong history of bringing new technology to commercialisation, is leading the way.

On a parallel track, the company is pursuing the development of the Bear Lodge project, which will be an excellent long-term, secure source of key rare earth magnet materials.

Bear Lodge project – rich in magnet materials

Over the last decade, RER has assembled an extensive body of geological data that confirms the Bear Lodge project is one of the richest rare earth mineral deposits in North America when looking at the essential magnet materials. This not only includes Nd/Pr but Dy and Tb, both of which have specialised magnet uses. With over 500 drill holes completed, resulting in over 285,000 feet of core, the deposit is well-delineated with additional drill targets already identified. This work positions the Bear Lodge project to be well ahead of other proposed mining operations.

Equally advantageous to the Bear Lodge project is its location in Northeast Wyoming. Wyoming is well experienced in resource development, and its present-day ‘all of the above’ energy strategy lends support to multiple critical industries like ours. The Bear Lodge project is located with easy access to important infrastructure such as rail, power, roads, and natural gas. The State is pro-business, has a readily available and highly skilled workforce and a business-friendly tax structure.

Furthering its commitment to job creation and economic diversity, Wyoming has been active in support of RER, including a financial commitment of $4.4m towards the construction and operation of the demonstration plant.

Moving forward on two fronts – right technology, right project

Construction is underway on the demonstration plant, located in Upton, Wyoming, near the Bear Lodge project. The DOE is involved and has committed $21.9m towards the project to date. The purpose of the demonstration plant is to advance the design and economics towards the commercialisation of the innovative separation and recovery technology. Site construction is expected to be completed in mid-2024. Plant equipment is currently being assembled offsite parallel with the upgrading and remodelling of an existing industrial site to expedite the commencement of operations.

Fig. 2: Bear Lodge Map

Team members from across the globe will be onsite to test, refine, and enhance the separation and recovery technology. Mineralised material from the Bear Lodge project will be used as feed for the plant, which is expected to operate for eight to ten months. The 700-ton (635-tonne) sample is expected to produce approximately 15 tons (13.6 tonnes) of 99.5% pure Nd/Pr at the desired recovery of 92 – 97%.

RER is currently advancing an updated resource model for the Bear Lodge project with a clear focus on critical magnet materials. Discussions will continue with stakeholders regarding the planned resumption of Bear Lodge permitting activities. And when available, the economic data generated from the demonstration plant will be used to complete feasibility work and establish a pathway for commercialisation.

Recent progress has been significant, but there is still much work to be done. Beginning construction on the demonstration plant was in part a reflection of a growing awareness of the necessity for developing secure, alternative rare earth supply sources, but also evidence of what can be accomplished when industry and government partner together and work towards a common goal.

Addressing the issue together

Leaders from agencies across the governments in allied nations, as well as the private sector, continue to join forces to address the challenges and opportunities within the rare earth supply chain. In the US, stalwarts from the military sector and officials from the Departments of Defense, Commerce and Energy are working to develop a framework to support a nascent but critical industry essential to reduce dependence on China.

With the acknowledged advantages Chinese firms hold in terms of tax and trade, coupled with their access to lower costs in labour and energy, it is important that each step in the process be thoroughly evaluated to ensure that supports are in place to build a stable, long-term, secure supply chain.

Development of the Bear Lodge project and commercialisation of the company’s innovative recovery and separation technology are clear steps in supporting the goal of both independence and security.

Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 19, 2024
Can Australia lead the global charge?
[ad_1]
Olimpia Pilch, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of the Critical Minerals Association Australia, considers the outlook for Australian critical minerals, navigation of turbulent markets, crucial policy changes, and international significance.

In 2023, Western governments turned to penning strategies, signing agreements and banding together through the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) – of which Australia is a member – and funding projects across MSP and allied nations. Notably, Australia and the UK signed a statement of intent to support the critical minerals sector, as well as one with Germany; they courted the US and inked the Compact aimed at enhancing bilateral co-operation; shook hands with France over a bilateral agreement on critical minerals; celebrated a milestone in the critical minerals investment partnership with India; and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited China’s President Xi Jinping in an effort to calm down the turbulent relationship at a time when tensions over critical minerals (especially gallium, germanium, graphite, and rare earths) had been escalating as US and China continue a tit-for-tat.

For Australia, like many Western nations, China is its biggest trading partner (accounting for 34% of exports), and if prompted, could cause chaos for Australia’s resources sector and, as a result, the economy (with exports of predominantly iron ore, bauxite, gold, coal, and lithium – generating a record AU$455bn in export revenue in the 2022-23 financial year). Maintaining traditional trade relations and the search for new partners has dominated Australia’s strategy on the global stage as a ‘dig-and-ship’ nation that has not yet capitalised on sovereign value-added processing and refining, which remains in the tight grip of China.

Turbulent markets

While the Australian Government embarked on a quest for new friends, the industry faced an existential problem. The optimism of analysts projecting astronomical shortfalls between demand for critical minerals and green technologies and supply was not shared by equity markets in 2023.

Key issues remained: the technologies were not being built at the rate expected, China’s economy was showing signs of a slow-down, and Chinese consumers began falling out of love with electric vehicles (Tesla’s sales alone dropped 17.8% in November 2023 – some attributing this to the China’s phase-out of US$28 billion worth of incentives over 2009-2022).

Investors had little appetite for backing pre-feasibility exploration projects that would not stack up economically with a downturn in prices. And the sharp downturn came, fuelled by China’s overcapacity and economic slowdown, claiming not only the cash-strapped juniors but also high-cost casualties including – the legendary Mt Isa, Core Lithium’s Grants mine, and Wyloo Metal’s Kambalda – with lithium returns at -81.43%, nickel at -45.21%, and platinum at -7.67% for the year 2023. For better or worse, Australia’s resources sector is paying the price for decisionsmade in Beijing. Troubles in China spell troubles for down under.

Late-stage critical minerals projects, however – particularly 15 rare earth projects with a proposed investment of $7.3bn – have enjoyed a surge in investment. The Albanese Government also stepped in with an AU$2bn expansion in critical minerals financing aimed at doubling the Critical Minerals Facility’s capacity to finance Australian critical minerals mining and processing projects.

The story in lithium also continued, with total committed investments increasing by $2.5bn despite the rocky equity markets. However, the spending was committed to either expansions or the bigger end of town rather than junior explorers and their new finds. The increase from $6.7bn in 2022 to $11.8bn in 2023 in the value of committed critical minerals projects, confirms Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King’s statement that “the road to net zero runs through Australia’s resources sector” and the world remains hungry for Australia’s resources. However, Australia’s export revenues depend on more than three lithium projects, reaffirming the need for a robust critical minerals strategy.

Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030

Australia’s Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 focuses on re-positioning the nation as a globally significant producer of raw and processed critical minerals. The strategy aims to incubate the fledgling sector to take advantage of geostrategic and economic benefits associated with resources needed for the energy transition. To successfully move further up the value chain and reap the additional benefits of Australia’s natural endowment, the government will need to focus on creating an enabling business environment that promotes innovation and commercialisation within the midstream processing and refining space.

The Strategy also focuses on critical minerals’ biggest challenge – financing–specifically that of strategic projects in the midstream. The government aims to support the industry through ‘well-designed support’ to help de-risk projects and attract private investment to projects deemed important to Australia’s goals.

So far, the Australian Government has awarded A$100m to projects – a drop in the ocean when it comes to building modern and ‘green’ refining facilities that can easily run into the billions. However, the National Reconstruction Fund has AU$1bn earmarked for ‘value-add in resources’. Another AU$50.5m has been committed to establishing the Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub to begin tackling technological challenges that Chinese companies have built expertise in and Australia is found lacking in.

On the partnership side, diversification and partnerships with like-minded nations (government speak for non-China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran) are highlighted as the Australian Government continues to court potential buyers for its critical minerals. Australia is also committing more resources to monitor whether competitors are investing in the nation’s critical minerals sector, with AU$2.2m to be spent over four years by the Treasury to ‘develop more sophisticated ways of tracking foreign investment patterns.’ This comes as no surprise after the Government blocked a takeover of a lithium miner by a China-linked company. Greater protectionism of Australian sovereignty is likely to ruffle some investors’ feathers, particularly those who have enjoyed decades of quick profits.

© shutterstock/TippaPatt

On the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) front, there’s still some debate as to whether Australia is a ‘world leader.’ While it may indeed be the case for Australia in terms of political stability and absence of violence and terrorism; government effectiveness, regulatory quality, and accountability; the rule of law and control of corruption; the critical minerals sector – especially at the project level – has some issues that limit the nation’s ability to claim that title, particularly in indigenous matters and corporate governance. That being said, there are plenty of outstanding projects demonstrating exemplary ESG practices. The Australian Government is also cooperating with international standards bodies and encouraging discussions between the sector and First Nations people under the banner of ‘benefit sharing.’

Not meeting in the middle

The strategic role of the midstream cannot be stressed enough. Currently, China monopolises the midstream space globally for many critical minerals – such as gallium, lithium, graphite, and manganese – by Indonesia for nickel, Brazil for niobium, and the US for beryllium. Although many nations have a variety of resources that can be extracted, it is the processing and refining that ultimately add value and influence both the upstream prices and downstream access to critical materials. Moving from a ‘dig and ship model’ is no simple task. The successful creation of an Australian – specifically Australian-owned- midstream industry – will depend on the presence of the following five must-have ingredients:
- Access to finance deployed at speed (non-traditional – grants, low-interest loans, sovereign guarantees, and underwriting);
- Access to low-cost, ‘clean’ energy sources;
- Access to modern infrastructure (that a company does not have to invest in first) such as deep water ports, rail, roads, etc;
- Industry-orientated innovation and technological developments and;
- Expert know-how and a highly skilled talent pipeline.
Given the geopolitical influences on critical minerals value chains and lack of a clear offtake route, private investors are more likely to back Chinese joint ventures or projects with significant Chinese backing, leaving critical minerals projects that are aiming to reposition themselves for the Western market at a disadvantage. This is not surprising as the majority of the demand is in China. Backing a project that is destined for either an unknown or weak market is a risky game, and investors want to both speed up and increase their returns while the demand projections look promising.

Investors are in the business of making money, not securing Australia’s geostrategic ambitions or sovereignty; the latter two fall within the government’s remit. However, long-term diversification and economic growth require greater public-private partnerships to compete effectively against other nations’ state-controlled competition. Industry needs to contribute expertise and business know-how, and the government must provide some form of counterbalance to international market distortions and geopolitical fallouts.

The difficulty lies in striking a balance to avoid moving too far away from free-market values.

However, the market and government are at odds, with some investors calling for less government meddling and greater freedom to cut deals with whomever they want. However, as demonstrated by China, Indonesia, and the US, critical minerals markets and state intervention are unlikely to decouple anytime soon. It is also unlikely that many investors and shareholders will have free license to sell strategic assets to foreign entities of concern without some government intervention.

It is worth noting that contrary to free-market ideology, leaving the creation of an Australian midstream to the markets will either perpetuate Australia’s current ‘dig and ship model’ or attract competitors willing to accept lower profits for greater market share or even a monopoly. Australian companies venturing further down the value chain face limited options to tap into an alternative downstream market to sell their products, restricted access to alternative capital sources (securing of which typically takes significantly longer than Chinese investment), and technological barriers, including know-how and access to equipment. Naturally, China is unlikely to support the growth of alternative midstream industries and has already restricted the exports of rare earth processing technology.

Most significantly, Australia, like other nations, cannot compete with China on cost. Instead, technological development and innovation can support ‘economies of flexibility’ focusing on modular plants and processes that can service multiple commodities based on the flow of input material. This would require either co-operation between numerous producers or vertical integration. The location of processing plants and refineries within industrial hubs or clusters can, if strategically planned, create ecosystems of waste-to-reagent use between multiple co-located plants through the adoption of circular economy principles, leading to reductions in cost over time.

Stiff international competition

China is not the only worry facing Australia’s critical minerals sector. Domestic issues also stand in the way: Restrictive bureaucracy, changes to industrial policy (e.g. same job, same pay), the inability to streamline planning and permitting across all its States, and a lack of early investment in key supporting infrastructure. These are leaving Australian operations increasingly too expensive for the China-controlled markets, where cheaper alternatives are arising across the global south. African and Latin American jurisdictions increasingly use finance from China, India, Saudi Arabia, and the US. Not only can projects in some global south nations reach production much quicker, but they also come with significantly lower costs and better profit margins.

That said, the good news is that the stability and reliance of Australia’s established systems position it favourably on the global stage. In its 2022 survey, the Fraser Institute ranked Western Australia and South Australia as second and sixth, respectively, for investment attractiveness globally, while South Australia also ranked third for policy perception.

Australia also maintains an advantage when it comes to courting carmakers and other OEMs – a reputation for responsible practices. Increasingly, as the carbon craze demands lower footprints, and automakers are terrified of protests against poor mining practices, doing things ‘the right way’ carries certain benefits.

Yet, globally, price remains king – and so do returns on investment. As Australia’s top diplomats focus on being the key supplier for the world’s energy transition, the balancing act of maintaining a competitive critical minerals sector without sacrificing responsibility while bridging the gap between its free-market ideals and the monopolistic stranglehold of its largest trading partner will be Australia’s most significant challenge.

Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.
[ad_2]

Source link
February 14, 2024
ELEMISSION’s core scanner for accurate real-time detection and analysis of critical minerals

[ad_1]

ELEMISSION’s ECORE core scanner offers new opportunities by delivering real-time quantitative automated mineralogy using LA-AES (LIBS).

Critical minerals are essential for the global transition towards a greener future. They are required to develop many new technologies, including low-greenhouse gas energy sources, and are the backbone of the current electric vehicle revolution. The Government of Canada has identified 31 critical minerals and metals that are instrumental for sustainable economic prosperity and growth within Canada and its trading partners.

Many of these minerals, including lithium (Li), aluminium (Al), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and rare earth elements (REEs), are currently mined and actively being explored nationwide. Demand for critical minerals is rapidly increasing around the world. Therefore, the optimisation of their exploration and processing is crucial for propelling society toward a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future.

Fig. 1: ECORE LIBS core scanner manufactured by ELEMISSION Inc.

Conventional core scanning technologies

In an attempt to optimise the exploration and production of critical minerals, many exploration and mining companies have turned to the digitisation of drill cores. This generally permits faster logging and interpretation when compared to traditional methods, while facilitating geological modelling and the archival of information.

This has resulted in a rise in the popularity of core scanners. In general, they are meant to streamline and maximise efficiency when core logging while providing textural and mineralogical data that a core logging geologist could otherwise miss. The most commonly used core scanners rely on infrared hyperspectral imaging (IR-HSI) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF).

IR-HSI drill core scanners are able to provide large amounts of textural and mineralogical information rapidly and at a relatively affordable price, while XRF scanners are able to provide chemical composition and elemental information.

In the case of HSI, metal oxides and sulphide minerals are not spectrally active and therefore cannot be identified. This is troublesome for the analysis of critical metals, as they are often hosted in sulphide or oxide minerals. XRF technology cannot detect light elements (Z<13). Mg (Z = 12) and Na (Z = 11) can be detected but require longer dwell times that are not conducive to rapid core scanning.

Furthermore, XRF is not capable of identifying mineralogy, only elemental information. Because of this, it is impossible to distinguish between minerals that have similar compositions, and it is difficult to extract important elemental deportment information crucial for fully understanding a deposit.

Fig. 2: Periodic table of elements demonstrating which elements can be detected using LIBS technology (red) and critical elements (blue outline)

The limitations of these methods can result in the loss of critical information that can greatly impact decision-making and thus require additional techniques to complement and enhance their information, which adds more time to the overall analysis. The shortfalls of these methods, combined with the growing demand for critical minerals, create room for an emerging technology that can provide rapid and accurate results without these same restrictions.

ECORE scanner

ECORE, manufactured by ELEMISSION Inc. (Fig. 1), is a fully automated, high-speed laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) commercial drill core scanner that is capable of detecting almost every element on the periodic table (Fig. 2), which includes every element involved in Canada’s list of critical minerals.

ECORE is able to provide rapid (less than five minutes per core box, more than 300m per day) chemical and mineralogical information, along with invaluable textural information at high resolution. The following case studies demonstrate the application of ECORE to the analysis of critical minerals while simultaneously highlighting the importance of having access to mineralogical and full chemical information.

Case study one: Lithium pegmatite

Over 120 mineral species contain lithium as an essential constituent, and 44% of them can be found within lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites, the most important economic source of lithium globally. Lithium reserves in pegmatites mostly occur in the form of lithium-silicate minerals. These most commonly include spodumene (LiAlSi2O6), petalite (LiAlSi4O₁₀), and lepidolite (KLi2Al(Al,Si)3O₁₀(F,OH)2.

Differentiating between different lithium-bearing minerals is extremely important in the context of understanding the economic potential of a deposit, especially given the great diversity of possible lithium species.

The extraction and processing methods can vary depending on the main host mineral since mining and processing procedures need to be adjusted based on the physical properties of the specific mineral. As a result, understanding the contribution of lithium from each mineral present in the deposit is crucial for an accurate estimation of mining and processing costs.

ECORE is able to easily differentiate between lithium-bearing minerals, even those that vary only slightly in composition, such as spodumene and petalite.

Fig. 3: A photo, an RGB (Li, Al, Si) map, mono-elemental maps for Rb, Be, and Li, and a mineralogical map generated by ELEMISSION’s Smart Automated Mineralogy (SAM) software of a section of drill core from a lithium pegmatite deposit

This is demonstrated in Fig. 3, where, using RGB mapping, spodumene and petalite are easily distinguished from one another within the same core sample. Feature mapping like this has proven to be very useful not only for discriminating between mineral phases but also for highlighting compositional variations within the same mineral.

Mono-elemental mapping provides the advantage of being able to understand the context in which mineralisation is hosted, along with providing important elemental deportment information. This information can then be represented in the form of a mineralogical map using ELEMISSION’s proprietary Smart Automated Mineralogy (SAM) learning algorithm.

Using ECORE technology, predicted and true chemical assays are able to be provided in real-time. Fig. 4 shows ECORE chemical assays taken at one-metre intervals over 1500m of drill core from a lithium pegmatite deposit compared to assays obtained by a standard laboratory method (ICP-AES, four acids). The R² value (0.98) and the slope of the curve (0.99) reveal a very strong correlation between these two methods and demonstrate that the ECORE core scanner is equally effective and reliable when compared to traditional laboratory methods.

Fig. 4: Lithium concentration detected by ECORE compared to laboratory (ICP-AES) analysis for 1500 m of lithium pegmatite drill core at one-metre intervals

Access to instantaneous quantitative chemical data that can easily be generated as a function of depth at intervals of the user’s choice is invaluable, as it facilitates rapid decision-making and eliminates the week- or month-long delay that is typically associated with waiting for traditional lab assay results.

Case study two: Porphyry copper

Understanding the mineralogy of a deposit is not only important for optimising production and planning for future extraction but also for understanding controls on mineralisation to facilitate exploration. In porphyry copper deposits, hydrothermal fluids concentrate metallic elements and produce extensive alteration haloes around an intrusion.

This results in mineral zonations that form approximately concentric patterns whose changes in mineralogy can serve as a vector towards mineralised centres.

In practice, these patterns are often difficult to recognise by eye due to commonly occurring later-stage overprinting and alteration events and therefore require the expertise of a skilled geologist aided by petrographic thin section analysis and the use of more complex, expensive, and time-consuming instruments such as electron probe micro-analysers (EPMA) or X-ray diffractometers (XRD) to comprehend.

With ELEMISSION’s core scanner, automated and precise mineralogical maps can be created to consistently recognise lithological units and their distinctive mineralogy. Sulphide and oxide mineral species can easily be identified and differentiated, which allows for simple visualisation of mineralisation behaviour within the core.

Fig. 5 shows a high-resolution SAM image of a section of core from the ore zone of a porphyry copper deposit. The image clearly shows two different copper-bearing sulphide minerals (bornite and chalcopyrite) hosted within an anhydrite-quartz vein. Within both the vein and the host rock, metal oxide (magnetite, delafossite, ilmenite, and cuprite) and oxyhydroxide (goethite) species can be distinguished from each other.

Fig. 5: A photograph, mono-elemental maps for Cu, S, and La, an RGB (Cu, Fe, S) image, and a SAM image of a section of drill core from the ore zone of a porphyry copper deposit

Additionally, elements that occur in trace amounts throughout the core (e.g., lanthanum) can also be identified while preserving spatial information, so associations between minerals and these elements can be made.

Conclusion

ECORE revolutionises the extraction and discovery of critical minerals by providing large amounts of information rapidly, thereby allowing for faster and more precise interpretations to be made during the exploration, extraction, and production stages. Within minutes, users can access mono-elemental and RGB maps, automated mineralogical images, and full chemical assays.

The capability of ECORE to detect almost any element on the periodic table means that there are no limitations in the types of core that can be analysed and also minimises the amount of additional analytical methods required for geologists to make their interpretations.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 14, 2024
Alloy production in the Western World
[ad_1]
How a UK company situated in the midstream is paving the way for an alternative supply chain with metal and alloy production in the Western World.

Nestled in Ellesmere Port, in the North-West of England, you can find an alloy production facility key to the UK Green Revolution, offering a complementary supply chain alternative.

Founded in 1992, Less Common Metals (LCM) is a world leader in manufacturing and supplying complex alloy systems and metals. With over 30 years of experience producing tight compositional tolerances and controlled microstructures, LCM offers a range of innovative products. In the last year, the company has invested in its technical department to bolster its expertise across various technical advancements.

Inside the factory, you can expect to see a whopping 6,200m² of shop floor housing six standard vacuum induction furnaces, three resistance heated furnaces, two strip casters, two full-sized electrolytic cells to produce rare earth metals from molten salts, a hydrogen decrepitation furnace, various crushers, mills, and other metal processing equipment, and a fully equipped, dedicated analytical laboratory.

As I’m sure you are aware, historically, China has held a dominant position in the global rare earth market as the country is gifted with ‘geological greatness’, which enables easy access to reserves. The Chinese Government has also invested a lot of capital into research and development and, in recent years, state-of-the-art equipment that enables advancements. China’s share in the rare earth market has varied throughout the years but has rarely dropped below 80%. Reuters recently reported that China controls 95% of the production and supply of rare earth metals.

Overdependence on a single source risks supply becoming weaponised, and holds enormous geopolitical pressures. With China dominating the rare earth industry, it leaves a strategic vulnerability with potential disruptions and an erratic supply of materials and products.

Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb) are heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), also known as the ‘heavies’. They are essential for improving the performance of neodymium magnets, the strongest commercial permanent magnets available. LCM recently announced the expansion of metal-making production to dysprosium iron (DyFe) and terbium (Tb) to further enhance their expertise as a complementary supply chain alternative. LCM is actively securing committed offtake agreements for commercial scale volumes for DyFe metal aimed to be supplied at approximately 30 tonnes per annum and Tb metal volume at 30 tonnes per annum initially.

The company’s technical process developments to date are in the fields of samarium cobalt (SmCo), co-reduced SmCo, neodymium iron boron (NdFeB), metallurgical reductions, strip casting, electrolysis, and hydrogen decrepitation. Progressing ahead, the technical department is focusing on the production of terbium and dysprosium (Tb/Dy) metal, neodymium praseodymium (NdPr), dysprosium iron (DyFe), samarium (Sm) and developing a scandium (Sc) production route.

Electrolysis

Molten salt electrolysis is the industry standard for making rare earth metals in NdFeB magnet production. Since 2017, LCM has made neodymium (Nd) and neodymium praseodymium (NdPr) metal commercially on their premises in the UK at over 120 tonnes per annum.

Without good control of the process and effective treatment of emissions, molten salt electrolysis has the potential to be highly damaging to the environment due to the use of fluoride and gaseous emissions, including CO2.

However, by installing a wet scrubber system to process off-gases, the LCM process operates well within the limits imposed on emissions by the UK Environment Agency.

NdFeB strip cast alloys

The established technology for alloy production for sintered NdFeB magnets is strip casting. Raw materials are melted in a vacuum, and the molten alloy is passed over a water-cooled rotating copper wheel.

LCM is the only western-world company currently strip casting NdFeB alloys on a commercial scale, with two 600kg scale furnaces giving a capacity of around 1,400 tpa of alloys. LCM now offers strip cast quantities as low as 100kg per composition. This will benefit the magnet market by assisting with small-quantity bespoke compositions to enable product development at a reduced cost.

NdFeB magnets are the most powerful permanent magnets commercially available. They are used in DC motors, sensors, chemical couplings, and pumps.

In recent years, there has been significant growth in green technologies requiring NdFeB magnets, including electric vehicles and wind power generation. LCM enjoys exclusive European representation as a leading Chinese producer of bonded magnetic powders.

Isotropic magnetic powders can be used to produce bonded NdFeB magnets through amalgamation. Anisotropic magnetic powders can be used to produce bonded magnets with maximum energy products twice that of the isotropic bonded magnets.

Hydrogen storage

Hydrogen storage alloys can absorb 1,000 times their volume in hydrogen, making them a favourable choice for green energy. With a long storage lifespan, the opportunities for these alloys are vast; they can be used to power various establishments such as factories, universities, residential areas, hotels, and commercial buildings.

Hydrogen storage alloys, also known as metal hydrides, can store and release hydrogen gas through hydrogen absorption and desorption. These alloys typically comprise metals such as titanium, zirconium, magnesium, and rare earth elements like lanthanum.

As a supporter of green energy and a decarbonised economy, LCM currently provides the industry with hydrogen storage material. Alongside this, LCM is proud to work with a PhD student from Nottingham University to further enhance the company’s offering and progress research into sustainable hydrogen alloys.

LCM continues to support PhD research as this plays a key role in producing solid-state hydrogen for partners worldwide.

Samarium cobalt alloy powders

Samarium cobalt alloy powders are a type of rare earth magnet material. The alloy production process is called co-reduction, which involves the reaction of mixed oxide with a reductant metal at elevated temperatures by induction melting. The resulting alloy is then crushed and milled to produce a fine powder.

The co-reduction process involves heating the mixed oxide and reductant metal together until they melt and react, diffusing atoms through the solid state and forming the desired alloy, after which it is crushed and milled to produce the power.

LCM is one of a few manufacturers globally producing SmCo alloy powders using this process. It is advantageous because it produces a more homogeneous and fine-grained powder than other methods, resulting in improved magnetic properties and performance in the final magnet production.

Benefits of specialty alloys

Specialty alloys offer a range of benefits due to their unique compositions and properties tailored to specific applications. LCM’s technical team engineers these alloys to demonstrate exceptional performance characteristics that standard alloys may not possess. Some of the benefits of specialty alloys include:
- Enhanced performance: Designed to excel in specific environments, conditions, or applications;
- Corrosion resistance: Formulated to resist corrosion in aggressive environments where standard alloys might fail;
- High-temperature stability: Mechanical strength and other properties maintained at elevated temperatures. Suitable for applications in high-temperature environments such as aerospace, power generation, and industrial processes;
- Wear resistance: Suitable for components subjected to abrasive or erosive conditions, such as cutting tools, bearings, and industrial machinery parts;
- Magnetic properties: Engineered to exhibit specific magnetic properties, including high magnetic permeability, low coercivity, and excellent magnetic retention. Vital for applications such as electrical transformers and magnetic sensors;
- Lightweight construction: Some specialty alloys have been developed to combine high strength with low weight, making them valuable for applications where weight savings are essential, such as in the aerospace and automotive industries; and
- Customisability: Speciality alloys can be customised to meet specific requirements, allowing engineers to fine-tune properties for optimal performance in particular applications.
LCM labs

The Less Common Metals laboratory is an inorganic analytical laboratory equipped to test the elemental composition, microstructure, and physical properties of inorganic materials. It primarily acts as the quality control (QC) department for producing metal alloys but can perform commercial analysis on various inorganic materials.

Through elemental, crystallography, metallography, and physical characterisation analysis, a range of industries can be serviced, such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, metals, batteries, and chemicals. Our team of analytical chemists uses various apparatus depending on the testing required:
- Elemental analysis (ICP-OES);
- Metallography (Optical, SEM-EDX);
- Crystallography (XRD); and
- Physical testing (PSD, thickness).
The team offers a 48-hour express service to analyse those samples you just can’t wait for. For all other analyses, ten working days is standard.

LCM’s growth strategy

LCM has strategically positioned itself for robust growth through a multi-faceted approach. Central to its expansion strategy is the emphasis on building strategic partnerships. LCM recognises the value of collaboration in today’s interconnected business landscape and has sought alliances with key players across the supply chain. These partnerships enhance LCM’s technological capabilities and market reach and foster innovation through shared resources and expertise.

Another pivotal aspect of LCM’s growth strategy is its commitment to offtake agreements. By securing long-term contracts with suppliers, LCM ensures a stable product demand. This commitment mitigates market uncertainties and provides a solid foundation for investment in capacity expansion and technological advancements. It solidifies LCM’s position as a reliable supplier in the industry.

LCM strategically facilitates a Western supply chain to bolster its growth further. This involves optimising logistics, distribution, and manufacturing processes to streamline operations. LCM aims to enhance its competitiveness and responsiveness to customer demands by establishing a more efficient alternative supply chain in Western markets.

This forward-thinking approach acknowledges the evolving dynamics of the global business environment, including geopolitical shifts and market fluctuations. By diversifying its supply chain, LCM aims to enhance resilience against disruptions, ensuring a continuous and reliable flow of materials and products.

In summary, the company’s growth strategy encompasses collaborative partnerships, committed offtake agreements, optimisation of the Western world supply chain, and exploring alternative supply chain models. The company is positioning itself for sustained success in a dynamic and competitive marketplace through these strategic initiatives.

Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.
[ad_2]

Source link
February 7, 2024
High grade magnet rare earths in a top tier jurisdiction

[ad_1]

Explorer Transition Minerals is focused on developing and advancing a portfolio of high-tech and strategic critical metals projects to support the green economy, energy storage markets, and global decarbonisation.

Australia’s Northern Territory has shot up the ranks of worldwide investment attractiveness based on the latest Fraser Institute annual survey of mining companies. Sitting sixth overall, the survey demonstrates the positive growth in exploration and mining that Australia’s ‘top end’ has experienced concurrently with the release of the country’s significant investment into developing the critical minerals industry.

It comes as some surprise, then, that Transition Minerals’ Barkly project is just the second rare earths project to achieve formal resource classification (Inferred resource, JORC 2012) in the NT after the progress of Arafura’s (ASX:ARU) Nolans project to development status with the support of crucial partnerships with EV manufacturers Hyundai and Kia. Arafura’s market capitalisation reached over AUD$1.1bn in 2023, providing a tantalising glimpse of the possibilities for Transition Minerals, given its proposed securities exchange listing in 2024.

Rare earths and vanadium in the Northern Territory

Following Transition Minerals’ maiden air core drilling programme in the second half of 2022 that was co-funded by the Northern Territory Government, the company has managed to confirm a significant regolith-hosted rare earth deposit underlying a mineralised zone of another critical mineral – vanadium – all within some 30m from the surface.

These dual resources come with some significant numbers from the first-pass drilling results. This includes 40 million tonnes at a very impressive 2,100 ppm total rare earth oxides (TREO), underlying a vanadium resource of 200 Mt @ 0.12 % V2O5 incorporating the further bonus of a significant gallium contribution.

But the resources don’t stop there. The formal Mineral Resource Estimation also indicated potential exploration targets (JORC, 2012) for the rare earths of a massive 200-1,000 Mt @ 1,600-1,900 ppm TREO, in addition to 300-1,000 Mt @ 0.12-0.14% V2O5 (plus gallium) residing in the rare earths’ overburden. The JORC Code stipulates that exploration targets are conceptual in nature, that there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource, and that it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.

Further benefits for Transition Minerals

To further highlight the significant opportunity for Transition Minerals, it has 100% ownership of contiguous landholding of over 7,300 km² in and around the Barkly rare earths and vanadium resources. This represents an enormous opportunity to discover further extensions and repetitions of the deposits already revealed.

Most readers will be well aware that not all deposits of rare earths are created equal. Rare earth deposits can be divided, at a simple level, into hard-rock deposits (e.g. Tanbreez, Mountain Pass, Kvanefjeld, Nolans) and regolith-hosted deposits that lie at the surface in highly weathered and generally unconsolidated material. The surficial and ‘easy’ digging nature of regolith-hosted deposits, in conjunction with typically low levels of radionuclides (uranium, thorium), means that these projects have the potential to be economic at relatively low grades of rare earths compared with the hard-rock deposits.

Transition Minerals’ Barkly deposit exhibits some standout characteristics among the regolith-hosted rare earth deposits. These include an exceptionally high proportion – 33% – of neodymium and praseodymium (Nd, Pr), the major rare earth components of permanent magnets (NdFeB magnets). Permanent magnets convert electrochemical energy into mechanical drive in the rapidly growing electric vehicle market and convert the rotation of wind turbines into electric energy in the globe’s unwavering push for electrification and decarbonisation. Global deposits of rare earths typically only comprise around a 20% proportion of the combined Nd and Pr, thereby highlighting the inherent advantage of the Barkly Project amongst its peers.

Progress has already been made in developing a mineral processing flowsheet for the Barkly rare earths project. Early diagnostic sighter testing has demonstrated that a very respectable 74% of Nd and Pr can be extracted from a composite bulk sample using a simple two-step hydrometallurgical process. Furthermore, initial tests have separately indicated that the Barkly rare earths material can beneficiate into a concentrated rare earth material via traditional flotation techniques. This can have positive downstream economic benefits for infrastructure size and reagent costs.

Rare earths and vanadium for the future

In summary, Transition Minerals has a first-mover advantage in a new rare earths and vanadium district in a top jurisdiction, with an expansive landholding providing plenty of scope for continued exploration success. Its flagship high-grade regolith-hosted Barkly rare earth deposit has an exceptional proportion of key permanent magnet rare earths (Nd, Pr) critical for EVs, wind turbines and the globe’s energy transition and decarbonisation goals.

Transition Minerals is progressing toward achieving a Tier 1 project with vanadium and gallium credits. It offers a bulk mining, low strip opportunity intended for low cost, hydrometallurgical recovery of critical permanent magnet rare earths.

International intelligence agencies, such as Adamas Intelligence, project global supply to be in a significant deficit of demand for NdPr by 2030. Transition Minerals has the quality asset that may seriously reduce this supply deficit in the future so that the pervasive growth of EVs and wind turbines can continue unabated.

Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 7, 2024