Century Lithium Corp. (TSX-V:LCE, OTCQX:CYDVF) said it has achieved high recovery rates of rare earth elements (REEs) from lithium leach solutions at its Angel Island project in Nevada, signaling potential for additional revenue streams alongside lithium production.
Initial test work showed that REEs, including dysprosium, gadolinium, neodymium, and praseodymium, as well as critical metals such as scandium, lanthanum, and cerium, can be extracted with minimal impact on lithium recovery. Cesium was also detected in the leach solutions.
“Ion-exchange testing achieved greater than 97% recovery of the identified REEs and critical metals, excluding cesium, while maintaining complete selectivity against lithium,” Todd Fayram, Century Lithium’s senior vice president of metallurgy, said.
“Producing a secondary REE-rich product has the potential to strengthen Angel Island’s economics and align the company with broader government and industry initiatives supporting secure North American critical-minerals supply chains.”
The company’s ongoing metallurgical program aims to optimize ion-exchange performance, advance downstream processing for REE concentration and refinement, evaluate commercial market pathways, and assess the economic contribution of REEs to lithium production.
Century Lithium said the results demonstrate that REE extraction can be integrated without affecting lithium recovery. The company believes these developments could allow Angel Island to supply both lithium and REEs to North American markets.
Shares of Century Lithium were up 7.7% on Tuesday afternoon in Toronto at C$0.28.