Latest Hydrometallurgy News

Temas Resources has generated its first revenue from its regenerative chloride leaching technology, but the milestone arrives alongside a wider first-half loss, declining cash and an explicit need for further funding by Q4 2026. The company ended June with C$3.39 million in cash and a C$933,940 estimated flow-through tax liability.

Zinc of Ireland has transformed from a small Irish zinc explorer into a metals technology developer, acquiring Meclex, raising A$5.5 million and advancing ARGO and VOLTA. The opportunity is substantial, but both technologies remain uncommercialised and the VOLTA partnership requires formal renewal.

Brazilian Rare Earths has commissioned its Stage I beneficiation pilot plant in Bahia and produced its first rare earth mineral concentrate. Partners will contribute R$6.4 million, or about A$1.7 million, towards the next hydrometallurgical stage planned for commissioning in Q2 2027.

Bayan Mining's patented ion-exchange technology demonstrated a 14-fold increase in yttrium concentration and a two-fold purity upgrade in independent bench-scale trials at the University of Queensland, highlighting commercial potential amid global supply disruptions.

Zinc of Ireland (ASX: ZMI) has fast-tracked its ARGO technology development to recover germanium, gallium, and indium, targeting early 2027 for pilot plant operations. The move aligns with EU regulatory demands for critical minerals and aims to reduce waste and emissions in zinc smelting.

European Resources' metallurgical collaboration with ANSTO Minerals has boosted magnet rare earth extraction at Korsnäs from 83% to 92% by removing calcite, highlighting a key processing lever for their Finnish rare earths project.

RareX Limited’s latest metallurgical program at Cummins Range delivers a breakthrough 9.5x upgrade in rare earth concentrate grade and confirms a viable gallium by-product extraction pathway, setting the stage for integrated multi-element processing.

Locksley Resources has demonstrated significant progress in antimony recovery through its collaboration with Rice University, successfully upgrading raw ore to high-purity antimony products and producing metallic antimony via electrodeposition.

Bayan Mining has partnered with The University of Queensland to push forward its patented yttrium processing technology, aiming to validate and optimise the process using Australian rare earth feedstocks and support pilot-scale development.

Lithium Universe (ASX: LU7) has completed the detailed process flow sheet for a novel hydrometallurgical technology licensed from the University of Edinburgh to extract gold and copper from electronic waste. The low-temperature, reagent-recycling method aims to disrupt traditional smelting with environmental and cost benefits.

Lithium Universe (ASX: LU7) has acquired exclusive global rights to a University of Edinburgh hydrometallurgical process that extracts gold and copper from electronic waste using recyclable organic compounds, positioning the company at the forefront of sustainable precious metals recovery.

Firebird Metals has locked in a purpose-built industrial facility in Osborne Park, Perth, to house its pioneering Australian Demonstration Plant, the only fully integrated manganese concentrate-to-cathode active material facility outside China.