How American Rare Earths’ Halleck Creek Breakthrough Could Reshape US Rare Earth Supply
American Rare Earths reports strong metallurgical leach recoveries and significantly reduced impurities at its Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project, marking a key step toward economic production of critical rare earth elements in the US.
- Praseodymium and neodymium leach recoveries exceed 84%
- Heavy rare earths terbium and dysprosium show encouraging recoveries
- Atmospheric tank leach selected as preferred, cost-effective method
- Iron and aluminum impurities reduced by up to 80% compared to prior tests
- Results underpin ongoing pre-feasibility study and technical de-risking
Strong Leach Recoveries Signal Technical Progress
American Rare Earths (ASX – ARR) has unveiled promising metallurgical test results from its Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project in Wyoming, USA. The extensive leach testing program, conducted at SGS’s Lakefield laboratory in Canada, demonstrated high extraction rates for key rare earth elements essential to permanent magnets, including praseodymium (85%) and neodymium (84%). Notably, recoveries for heavy rare earths terbium (52%) and dysprosium (46%) were also encouraging, addressing a critical challenge in rare earth processing.
Optimizing Processing with Atmospheric Tank Leach
Among various leaching techniques tested, atmospheric tank leaching emerged as the preferred method due to its superior energy efficiency, lower reagent consumption, and reduced capital costs compared to alternatives like acid-bake or counter-current leaching. The optimized conditions involve a carefully prepared mineral concentrate blend, ground to fine particle size, and treated with sulfuric acid at controlled temperature and retention times. This approach not only maximizes rare earth recovery but also facilitates easier impurity removal downstream.
Significant Reduction in Impurities Enhances Economics
A standout outcome from the testing is the substantial reduction in iron and aluminum impurities in the leachate; approximately 5 times and nearly 3 times lower, respectively, than previous studies. This improvement is attributed to enhanced mineral separation techniques, including gravity spiral and induced roll magnetic separation, which effectively remove deleterious minerals before leaching. Lower impurity levels are expected to reduce reagent use and operating costs in subsequent processing stages, strengthening the project’s economic outlook.
Supporting Resource and Development Confidence
The metallurgical results complement a robust exploration and resource delineation program at Halleck Creek, supported by extensive drilling and sampling campaigns. The project benefits from Wyoming’s mining-friendly regulatory environment and strategic location on state land, facilitating streamlined permitting. These advances feed directly into the ongoing pre-feasibility study, marking a critical phase in technical de-risking and moving the project closer to commercial production of rare earth magnet oxides vital for US technology and defense supply chains.
Strategic Implications for US Critical Minerals Supply
As the US seeks to reduce dependence on imports, particularly from China, American Rare Earths’ progress at Halleck Creek positions it as a potential cornerstone in domestic rare earth supply. The project’s ability to deliver high recoveries of both light and heavy rare earth elements with lower impurities enhances its competitiveness and sustainability credentials. Continued metallurgical refinement and pilot plant validation will be key next steps to confirm scalability and cost parameters.
Bottom Line?
With metallurgical hurdles easing, Halleck Creek edges closer to becoming a vital US rare earths source amid growing strategic demand.
Questions in the middle?
- How will pilot plant results compare with current laboratory leach recoveries?
- What are the projected capital and operating costs based on the new processing flowsheet?
- How will environmental permitting and community engagement progress in Wyoming?
