Ucore Rare Metals: RapidSX demonstration program for US Department of Defense underway

Canada’s Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV UCU / WKN A2QJQ4) operates an approximately 5,000-square-feet demonstration facility in Kingston, Canada, where it is advancing the commercialization of its RapdidSX technology, for which a patent has already been filed. Here, Ucore has already made great strides over the past three years in demonstrating the benefits of its rare earth element separation and purification technology.

Ucore has also qualified these RapidSX™ advantages through an independent third-party evaluation and has filed an intellectual property (“IP”) patent to protect the company’s distinct process advantages. Meanwhile, the company has embarked on a program to commercialize and scale-up the demonstration plant and will also focus on the technology transfer to its rare earths (except for cerium and yttrium) separation facility under development in Louisiana, the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex (LA-SMC).

Rigorously crafted demonstration program for U.S. Department of Defense

In order to achieve the best possible processing results in the LA-SMC, Ucore is currently working to quantify the benefits of RapidSX through a rigorously designed demonstration program it is conducting on behalf of – and at the expense of – the U.S. Department of Defense. In doing so, the company is preparing for commercial processing of a wide range of heavy and light mixed chemical rare earth concentrates derived from a wide variety of different sources. To date, Ucore has processed material from three different sources at the Kingston facility.

Extensive work

Specifically, the areas of development, commissioning, testing, and/or demonstration currently being worked on for each CDF and LA-SMC feedstock are:

• Cerium depletion
  Yttrium depletion
  Leaching to produce a pregnant leach solution (“PLS”).
  Preparation by a conventional solvent extraction (“CSX”) mixer-settler pilot plant of a similar 52-stage system to determine basic SX performance.
  Preparation by the 52-stage RapidSX™ demo plant (heavy and/or light elements – yields of PrNd, Pr, Nd, Tb, Dy and Y).

In addition, to ensure optimal design and construction of the LA-SMC in Louisiana, work at the demonstration facility includes the following specific activities:

• Production of chloride precipitate
  Component degradation test
  Non-destructive and destructive testing of components
  Dynamic analytical integration with control system – TXRF and ICP-MS on site
  Hydrochloric acid recovery and recycling
  Production of oxalate precipitation products – small batches
  Oxide production – small series
  Programmable logic controller system – feedstock specific programming for chemical delivery and feedback from over 600 system sensors.
  Radioactive monitoring and tracing – potential trace levels in each product and waste stream
  Scaling Demonstration – for the LA-SMC Commercial Facility
  Techno-economic engineering – including digital twin modeling Ventilation & Fume Scrubbing System.
  Wastewater treatment plant
  
  

Participation in the Autotech CTA Fall 2023 program in Silicon Valley.

It is also interesting to note that Ucore has been invited by Global Affairs Canada to participate in the Autotech CTA Fall 2023 program taking place October 10-12 in San Jose, California (CTA = Canadian Technology Accelerator). This program, organized by the Trade Commissioner’s Service of the Government of Canada, provides participating companies with access to potential customers in the U.S., strategic partners and to investors. It also provides introductions to sector experts and the auto tech ecosystem in California. In our opinion, these are opportunities that fit exactly with the current stage of development Ucore is in.

“We are very pleased that the Canadian government has selected us to participate in this prestigious industry event,” said Dr. Ahmad Hussein, consultant and director of government relations at Ucore. “We look forward to discussing the development of a North American rare earth supply chain and exploring strategic partnerships as we move forward with our planned separation facility in Louisiana.”