Mining News: News Nuggets: SuperLig-One delivers 99% pure heavy REEs from Ucore’s Bokan
Ucore Rare Metals Inc. June 7 reported that the SuperLig-One pilot plant has successfully separated the heavy rare earth elements and light REE contained in a pregnant leach solution derived from the company’s Bokan-Dotson Ridge project in Southeast Alaska. In two previous stages of testing, the pilot plant removed the impurity metals from the solution and then separated scandium as individual element exceeding 99 percent purity. In the latest circuit, the plant separated the heavy rare earths – samarium to lutetium – and light REE – lanthanum to neodymium plus yttrium. Ucore said each REE class is more than 99 percent pure and through this stage and more than 99 percent of the rare earths have been retained. This high level of both purity and recovery is credited to the molecular recognition technology being employed by the SuperLig-One pilot plant that was designed and constructed by Utah-based IBC Advanced Technologies Inc. “The SuperLig-One pilot facility has again delivered results that represent near quantitative levels of recovery and purity,” said Ucore President and CEO Jim McKenzie. “This ability differentiates MRT from less selective technologies such as solvent extraction, ion exchange, and precipitation, which consume significant quantities of solvents and hazardous chemicals.” In the next stages of testing, the SuperLig-One plant will attempt to recover high-purity dysprosium, terbium and europium from the heavy REE solution – all classified by the U. S. Department of Energy as being critically important to the near-term viability of domestic clean energy applications and industries. First, the pilot plant aims to separate dysprosium at 99.99 percent purity; followed by the separation and recovery of terbium and europium, each individually at more than 99 percent purity. The next stage will involve separating the remaining heavy rare earths into two sub-groups. One group will contain holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium; and the second group will consist of samarium and gadolinium. Both sub-groups, each containing more than 99 percent of their respective REE, will be retained for further separations. Likewise, the light REE class will be retained for future separations, as required. After confirmation testing of each stage of operation, the plant will undergo a continuous run of rare earth-bearing solution.
–Shane Lasley
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