New Frontier Minerals Ltd (ASX:NFM) has secured access to a rare earth processing route that could help ease one of the sector’s most persistent bottlenecks — Western capacity to upgrade dysprosium (Dy)- and terbium (Tb)-bearing ore — after test work on raw Harts Range material delivered a roughly 20× lift in total rare earth content in a single step.
The company on Tuesday announced it has signed a binding commercial framework with Metallium Ltd (ASX:MTM), granting exclusive rights to apply Metallium’s Flash Joule Heating (FJH) process to all ore from New Frontier’s Harts Range Project in Australia’s Northern Territory. It says the breakthrough performance of the FJH technology positions Harts Range for a potential pathway into US magnet and defence supply chains — markets where reliable Dy/Tb feed remains scarce.
Single-step FJH upgrade delivers major lift in Dy/Tb content
The agreement follows testing of a 25-kilogram bulk sample of un-beneficiated Harts Range ore that achieved one of the most substantial single-step upgrades reported from a Dy/Tb-bearing feedstock. Metallium’s proprietary FJH process lifted total rare earth oxide (TREO) content from ~1.7% to ~35% — around a 20× uplift — without any conventional beneficiation steps such as flotation or acid leaching.
FJH Test Units at the Anahuac Technology Campus, Chambers County, Texas. (Source: Metallium).
Key heavy and magnet rare earth elements, including neodymium sesquioxide (Nd₂O₃), recorded significant enrichment:
- Dy₂O₃: 0.19% → 10.03% (~53× upgrade)
- Tb₄O₇: 0.03% → 0.64% (~21× upgrade)
- Nd₂O₃: 0.05% → 5.69% (~114× upgrade)
The process also removed all detectable iron, silica, and thorium and partially rejected yttrium — a configuration New Frontier says could streamline qualification for US magnet and defence customers.
REE Recovery and Impurity Removal – Assay Before and After FJH Treatment & Enrichment Ratio (Source: Metallium).
Metallium is now modelling further optimisation work and will use its Texas Technology Campus to scale the reactor and generate Dy/Tb-rich “super-concentrates” for prospective customers. All assays were completed by an accredited independent laboratory using ICP-OES.
Single-step Flash Mass Balance Diagram (Source: Metallium).
Commercial structure locks in long-term downstream access
Under the binding terms, Metallium gains exclusive rights to apply the FJH process to all Harts Range ore for at least 10 years, rolling automatically into production. Once commercial output begins, Metallium will receive a 1.5% NSR-equivalent royalty and a processing margin. The structure also includes a partial royalty buy-back and ensures Metallium’s rights remain tied to the project in any ownership change.
Metallium’s indicative operating model: exclusive processing rights over Harts Range enable a “Processingas-a-Service” structure, generating both per-tonne licensing fees & production royalties without mining or operating risk.(Source: Metallium).
New Frontier chairman Gerrard Hall said the collaboration represents an inflection point for the project.
“The exceptional processing results, especially for dysprosium and terbium, validate the upgradability of the raw Harts Range ore,” Hall said. “Securing a 10-year, exclusive commercial framework agreement with MTM for Harts Range is a value-creating, game-changing event for New Frontier, delivering a novel beneficiation pathway for heavy rare earth products and potential access to US magnet and defence customers.”
He noted that advancing the upcoming drilling program and accelerating strategy work with Metallium are immediate priorities.
Positioning inside the Western HREE supply chain
New Frontier says the partnership provides something particularly scarce in heavy rare earth elements (HREEs): a defined downstream pathway anchored to a process capable of rapid, solvent-free beneficiation. With the FJH route now demonstrated on raw ore — not only secondary feedstocks — the technology presents a potential alternative to traditional, reagent-intensive flowsheets.
The timing also aligns with heightened US and allied efforts to secure dysprosium and terbium supply for magnets and defence systems, giving Harts Range a clearer strategic narrative as development progresses.
Next steps
Work now shifts to:
- ongoing FJH optimisation and reactor scale-up in Texas
- producing Dy/Tb-rich super-concentrates for qualification by US customers
- targeting a commercial term sheet by Q3 2026
New Frontier is also continuing to advance exploration work at the Harts Range niobium-uranium-HREE project, 140 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs.