Rainbow Rare Earths (LSE:RBW) has produced a 2kg ‘high-grade’ mixed rare earth hydroxide, which is considered a commercial product, at the Phalaborwa Pilot Plant in South Africa.
The mixed rare earth product produced by the primary flowsheet is ‘higher grade’ than the industrial normal – 55% total rare earth oxide (TREO) – versus the Chinese specifications for a mixed rare earth carbonate at 44-44% TREO.
Rainbow says the production of this product has been confirmed as an ideal feed stream into the planned solvent extraction separation circuit in order to produce neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide and a heavy rare earth concentrate (SEG+) product. SEG+ refers to a samarium, europium, and gadolinium product, each at 99.5% purity.
By delivering these separated products, Rainbow intends to capture more of the value chain by going further downstream than many rare earths projects.
CEO George Bennett says this is an “important” de-risking event for the project, as the pilot plant is performing as expected and will produce increasing quantities of the mixed rare earth hydroxide.
“The high purity of this product positions it as an ideal feed stream for the planned solvent extraction separation process in order to produce the NdPr oxide and SEG+ products of the desired +99.5% purity,” Bennett says.
Rainbow Rare Earths is focused on rare earths in South Africa and Brazil. The company’s process will deliver separated rare earth oxides through a single hydrometallurgical pilot plant onsite, with a focus on the recovery of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Rainbow Rare Earths
