American Resources Corp (NASDAQ:AREC) announced that its minority-owned subsidiary, ReElement Technologies, has filed five new patent applications aimed at strengthening US refining capabilities for several high-priority critical and rare earth elements.
The filings expand ReElement’s intellectual property portfolio and support domestic processing of materials such as germanium, antimony, terbium, gallium, gadolinium and yttrium, minerals widely used in advanced manufacturing, energy technologies and defense applications, the company said on Wednesday.
ReElement, which develops clean and modular high-purity refining systems, said the new patents advance its efforts to establish scalable US-based production capacity.
"These filings reflect our commitment to reshoring the highest-purity refining of rare earths and critical minerals back to the United States in a manner that is scalable, environmentally responsible, and globally deployable,” ReElement Technologies CEO Mark Jensen said in a statement.
“Our platform enables breakthrough efficiency, lower costs, and the flexibility to co-locate refining directly with mining or concentration operations - an unprecedented advantage for both domestic and allied-nation supply chains."
Developed using advanced software tools, including machine learning, the patents build on ReElement’s chromatographic separation platform and were supported by Royalty Management Holding Corp (NASDAQ:RMCO), which will receive a royalty interest on output produced under the processes.
The patents cover methods for refining antimony trisulfide or trioxide to over 99.7% purity, gadolinium, germanium, and yttrium to 99.9% to 99.999%, and gallium and terbium to 99.5% to 99.999, meeting standards for defense, semiconductor, and advanced electronics applications.
The technology addresses key supply chain vulnerabilities, according to the company. Germanium supports infrared optics and satellite sensors; yttrium and gadolinium are critical to lasers, jet-engine alloys and neutron detection; antimony is vital for munitions and specialized alloys; terbium underpins high-performance magnets for precision-guided weapons; and gallium is central to GaN power electronics, radar, and secure communications.
The company highlighted that its compact, solvent-free refining units can be deployed quickly or co-located with mining assets, reducing capital and operating costs while providing cleaner domestic production of critical minerals.