SYDNEY, 29 May 2024 — American Rare Earths (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) is excited to announce promising developments at its Halleck Creek project with the identification of significant zircon co-product potential during rare earth elements (REEs) processing. This breakthrough underscores the company's innovative approach to enhancing project value and sustainability in response to global demands for critical minerals.
Key Developments:
- Enhanced Zircon Supply: Amidst a global crunch for zircon, used extensively in ceramics, electronics, and nuclear energy, Halleck Creek’s potential for significant zircon co-product production positions ARR advantageously in the market. Preliminary and historical exploration assays have shown a promising in-situ grade of zirconium at 2,077 ppm — far surpassing the average crustal abundance.
- Innovative Processing Techniques: Leveraging the density characteristics of zirconium, ARR has achieved a 13.7 times upgrade in zircon concentration through gravity separation processes, which are integral to the REEs pre-concentration steps at Halleck Creek.
- Strategic Research Collaboration: In partnership with the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources, ARR is deepening its research into the prevalence and beneficiation of zircon, aiming to further enhance its economic value.
Donald Swartz, Chief Executive Officer of American Rare Earths, commented:
“Zircon is typically a minor product obtained from processing heavy mineral sands and has many high value applications across multiple industries. We are thrilled to announce the discovery of a potential co-product in our Halleck Creek project. This potential was only recently identified as part of our previously announced REE processing program modifications emphasising Dense Medium Cyclones work1 led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This opportunity has the potential to generate significant additional revenue and enhanced project economics. Further details will be provided as we continue our assessment and evolve our strategy to maximise value for our shareholders.”
Future Outlook: ARR is committed to further exploration and metallurgical work to maximize the recovery and processing of both zircon and REEs, particularly focusing on the extraction of heavy REEs from zircon. The ongoing research and development activities aim to optimize and potentially expand the project’s scope based on these encouraging initial results.
About us:
American Rare Earths Limited (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) owns the Halleck Creek, WY and La Paz, AZ rare earth deposits which have the potential to become the largest and most sustainable rare earth projects in North America. American REEs is developing environmentally friendly and cost-effective extraction and processing methods to meet the rapidly increasing demand for resources essential to the clean energy transition and US national security. The Company continues to evaluate other exploration opportunities and is collaborating with US Governmentsupported R&D to develop efficient processing and separation techniques of REEs elements to help ensure a renewable future.
Contact details:
Jane Morgan
jm@janemorganmanagement.com.au