American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQB:ARRNF) has secured a research partnership with the University of Wyoming aimed at identifying potential end-uses for tailings and other byproducts associated with future rare earths production at its flagship Halleck Creek Project.
The company said the collaboration, undertaken through its wholly owned US subsidiary Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc., has been selected for a competitive Seed Translational Acceleration of Research (STAR) Project award. The funding is delivered under the University of Wyoming’s National Science Foundation-backed Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program, which focuses on applied research with clear commercial outcomes.
The project will assess the technical and economic viability of potential byproducts generated during rare earth elements extraction at Halleck Creek, with the aim of enhancing project economics while reducing the overall environmental footprint.
Focus on value-added outcomes
Under the program, researchers from the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources will work directly with Wyoming Rare to examine tailings and byproducts from the Halleck Creek mineralisation and evaluate whether those materials can support additional end-use applications.
The work will be led by Tyler Brown, minerals program manager in the School of Energy Resources’ Center for Economic Geology Research, with a focus on practical, industry-facing outcomes.
Key deliverables from the one-year project are expected to include:
- A comprehensive database detailing material properties of tailings and byproducts
- Computational modelling to assess potential commercial applications
- Small-scale laboratory experiments to validate a shortlist of high-potential uses
American Rare Earths said the results will help determine processing requirements and clarify how any viable byproduct streams could influence the broader development strategy and economics of Halleck Creek.
University of Wyoming vice president for research and economic development Parag Chitnis said the STAR program is designed to support milestone-driven projects that deliver usable outcomes for industry partners.
“These projects will serve as a basis for training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, while simultaneously advancing tangible research that directly impacts development projects in Wyoming,” Chitnis said.
Strengthening Halleck Creek development pathway
The collaboration builds on American Rare Earths’ recent efforts to streamline and accelerate development at Halleck Creek, following the company’s decision earlier this month to monetise a non-core equity holding and redeploy capital into advancing the Wyoming project.
Read more: American Rare Earths cashes in non-core holding to accelerate Halleck Creek
Halleck Creek is located on Wyoming State land and is regarded as one of the largest rare earth deposits in the United States. The project is being advanced as a potential long-life, open-pit operation with plans for onsite mineral processing and separation facilities.
American Rare Earths said identifying additional value streams from tailings or secondary materials could play an important role as the project progresses through technical studies, supporting both cost efficiency and environmental performance.
Brown said the partnership reflects the benefits of close collaboration between industry and applied research teams.
“When this expertise is directly applied in collaboration with a Wyoming industry partner, it creates a powerful synergy, one that is essential for significantly advancing our energy-driven economic development with the state,” Brown said.
Government-backed research support
The STAR award sits within the University of Wyoming’s broader ART initiative, which received US$6.3 million in NSF funding over four years. The program is designed to accelerate the translation of university research into commercial and industrial outcomes, particularly in energy and critical minerals.
For American Rare Earths, the company said the partnership reinforces its strategy of working alongside US government-supported research programs as it advances Halleck Creek toward development, with a focus on domestic supply chain security and responsible mining practices.