Axel REE Achieves 95% Gallium Extraction at Caladão Tiger Creek Deposit
Axel REE has reported a major leap in metallurgical testwork at its Caladão Project in Brazil, achieving up to 95% gallium and 74% scandium extraction from a Tiger Creek composite sample. The results mark a significant step in developing alternative gallium recovery methods beyond traditional by-product sources.
- 95% gallium and 74% scandium extraction from Tiger Creek composite
- High extraction achieved using sulphuric and oxalic acid leach systems
- Gallium extraction improved from ~25% to 95% over successive programs
- Next phase to focus on reagent consumption and metal recovery
- Results based on single composite sample, commercial viability unproven
Breakthrough Gallium Extraction at Tiger Creek
Axel REE Limited (ASX:AXL) has pushed the boundaries of gallium and scandium extraction at its Caladão Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with independent testwork achieving up to 95% gallium and 74% scandium recovery. The results come from a composite sample sourced from the Tiger Creek deposit, part of the broader Caladão resource, and represent a substantial advance from previous programs that only managed around 25% gallium extraction.
Two distinct acid leach systems, sulphuric acid and oxalic acid, were tested, with oxalic acid edging ahead by extracting 95% gallium and 74% scandium at 90°C and 100 g/L concentration. Sulphuric acid also performed strongly, delivering 90% gallium and 70% scandium extraction under similar conditions. These findings suggest Axel is not confined to a single leaching chemistry, broadening options for future process development.
Metallurgical Progression and Resource Context
The Tiger Creek target hosts an inferred mineral resource estimated at 85 million tonnes grading 40 ppm gallium and 1,050 ppm total rare earth oxides (TREO). The composite sample used in testwork assayed 63 ppm gallium, higher than the broader Caladão project's average of approximately 38 ppm, highlighting the potential for selective extraction in higher-grade zones.
Axel’s metallurgical program has evolved rapidly, with gallium extraction improving from a proof-of-concept 25% in mid-2025 to 50% earlier this year, culminating now in the 90–95% range. Scandium co-extraction, first reported in January 2026, has been confirmed and enhanced in this latest program, underscoring the potential for dual metal recovery.
Challenges Ahead: Selectivity and Reagent Consumption
Despite the encouraging extraction rates, the testwork flagged significant dissolution of aluminium and iron impurities, up to 98% and 96% respectively under some conditions, indicating poor selectivity that could complicate downstream processing. Reagent consumption remains high, ranging from 747 to 1,072 kg per tonne of feed, reflecting the early-stage nature of the tests which have yet to be optimised for efficiency.
Axel’s Managing Director, Patience Mpofu, emphasised that the next phase will prioritise reducing reagent use and improving selectivity to separate gallium and scandium from aluminium and iron in solution. Additionally, recovering these metals from the pregnant leach solution is a critical upcoming focus.
Strategic Importance of Alternative Gallium Sources
Gallium is predominantly produced as a by-product of alumina refining, with China dominating global supply. Axel’s ability to leach gallium effectively from Caladão’s mineralisation could provide an alternative supply pathway, which is strategically valuable amid tightening markets. The company is pursuing this alongside its magnesium sulphate in situ recovery (ISR) development for rare earths, indicating a multi-pronged approach to unlocking value from the project.
While the testwork results are promising, they derive from a single composite sample and sighter-scale batch tests conducted at atmospheric pressure. No scoping or feasibility studies have been completed, and no economic assessments have been made. The company cautions that these results should not be extrapolated across the entire resource without further variability testing.
Looking Forward: Optimisation and Recovery Trials
The conceptual process flowsheet presented by Axel outlines a pathway from feed preparation through leaching, ion exchange, and metal recovery, but remains in the early planning stage. The company is preparing to advance metallurgical optimisation, including testing lower acid concentrations, temperature regimes, and reagent recycling strategies to improve commercial viability.
With rare earth and critical mineral markets under increasing scrutiny for secure and diversified supply, Axel’s progress at Caladão will be closely watched as it moves toward demonstrating scalable, cost-effective extraction and recovery methods.
Bottom Line?
Axel REE’s gallium and scandium extraction breakthroughs at Caladão mark a technical milestone but underline the need for optimisation to reduce reagent use and improve selectivity before commercial viability can be assessed.
Questions in the middle?
- How will Axel balance reagent consumption with extraction efficiency in scaling up metallurgical processes?
- What recovery methods will prove most effective for separating gallium and scandium from aluminium and iron impurities?
- Can the high extraction rates demonstrated on a single composite be replicated across the broader Caladão resource?
