Aclara Resources Inc (TSX:ARA, OTC:ARAAF) announced that 25 tons of ionic clays extracted from the company’s Carina Module rare earth deposit in Brazil have arrived at its pilot plant in Chile where they will be used to produce heavy rare earth carbonate samples.
The company said it will kick off the piloting operation at the end of the month and complete the process by the end of February 2024.
The piloting aims to assess the compatibility of the company's patented Circular Mineral Harvesting technology with the Carina Module ionic clays on a semi-industrial scale while revalidating the environmental attributes of the process.
The company highlighted that in the Circular Mineral Harvesting process, 95% of the water and 99% of the primary reagent deployed in the extraction process are recycled.
It also is targeting the production of a premium heavy rare earth carbonate product for commercial purposes, implementing process flowsheet modifications identified during its 2023 piloting campaign carried out with iconic clays from its Penco Module project in Chile.
"Following the release of the mineral resource estimate for the Carina Module, we are looking to initiate commercial discussions while commencing the production of heavy rare earth carbonate samples over the next two months at our piloting facilities in Chile,” Aclara chief operating officer Barry Murphy said in a statement.
“We have confidence in the outstanding quality of this asset and remain dedicated to accelerating the project development process across all disciplines to expedite the asset's production at the earliest feasible time."
Aclara is a development-stage company focusing on heavy rare earth mineral resources hosted in ion-adsorption clay deposits.