Peak Resources has achieved a significant milestone on the road to commercialising the wholly-owned Ngualla Rare Earth Project in Tanzania, following the production of two refined rare earth products.

Ngualla is on track to become the next major rare earth supplier with high grade mineralisation and a simple, proven metallurgical process supporting a low cost operation.

These products were produced at ANSTO Minerals (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation), and importantly are in a saleable form and available for evaluation by target customers.

The rare earth products completed to date are:

- An ultra-high purity (99.9%)* mid and heavy rare earth oxide (M+HREO).
- A high purity (>99%) rare earth carbonate with a grade of 56% REO.

                  

The work includes the first of four separated high purity rare earth oxide products from the Solvent Extraction Pilot Plant now in operation at ANSTO.

Peak said that the SX Pilot Plant work is progressing well with three additional separated rare earth oxide samples to be produced over the coming months, including a high purity didymium oxide (a neodymium – praseodymium mix) sample which is expected in June, followed by cerium oxide and finally a lanthanum oxide.

Alastair Hunter, chairman for Peak, commented: “The successful production of these products of such high quality is an achievement very few other companies have made and we are hopeful they will exceed the expectations of any future off take customers.

"This work is well within the required specifications and demonstrates Peak’s commitment to drive the development of the Ngualla Project forward.”

Ngualla is a leading rare earth project with an estimated NPV of US$1.57 billion and pre-tax IRR of 53% for an initial 25 years production and an average grade of 4.35% REO.

Peak continues to fast track the development of Ngualla with the aim of becoming a low cost, long term producer of high purity rare earth oxide products in 2016.


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Malawi launched a $20 million project last week to start exploration for rare earth metals and natural gas in the southern part of the country, reports the African Press Agency.

The government expects the project to help the local economy through increased foreign exchange and other revenues.

With the extraction of rare earths and natural gas, the country forecasts its gross domestic product to jump by 10% to 20% by 2015.

An Australian company was granted the exploration licence.


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Yoshio Takahaski, a professor of environmental chemistry at Hiroshima University, said a research team-- which also includes Japan’s Aisin Cosmos R&D Co. Ltd.--has determined that dried salmon milt or sperm is a “low cost and environment-friendly” method to extract rare earth metals.

The announcement of the research team’s findings was made at the Japan Sustainable Mining, Investment and Technology Business Forum in Tokyo and reported by Kyodo News.

The research team, based in Aichi Prefecture, found a 2010 study which determined phosphate groups found on the surface of bacteria can absorb and separate rare earths from the ore 10 times more effectively than the current extraction and separation REE process with extraction resin. The team then decided to explore the possibility of using milt--rich in phosphoric acids, but usually thrown away—for rare earth element extraction.

The team performed an experiment in which salmon milt was dried, powdered and put into a beaker containing a rare earth metals solution. The milt absorbed the rare earth elements as well as bacteria does, particularly the scarce and very expensive elements thulium and lutetium.

Unlike bacteria, milt does not have to be cultivated and is easier to preserve in a powdered state.

The team also believes that by making more use of milt through different chemicals, it can extract various types of rare earths.


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Cavan Ventures recently increased the number of claims covering its Pythonga Lake rare earth project. The new claims are said to increase the economic potential of the property because of the discovery of several new rare earth element (REE) occurrences during the 2011 and 2012 prospecting programs.

Following these updated results, the company intends to drill to verify the extensions of the best channel samples along strike and at depth. The 2013 drilling program will be focused on three areas of mineralized outcrop.

Search Minerals confirmed the appointment of Stephen Keith as president and CEO of the company, effective immediately. James Clucas, the outgoing president and CEO, has transitioned to executive chairman of the company.

Keith has worked on projects in more than 30 countries, with a focus in Latin America, and was most recently founder, president and CEO of Rio Verde Minerals Development, a company he took from concept to listing on the TSX with over $30 million completed in equity financings. Keith led Rio Verde until its acquisition by B&A Fertilizers in March of this year.

Tasman Metals announced the first NI 43-101 compliant independent resource estimate for its 100-percent-owned Olserum HREE project in Sweden.

Its press release notes that highlights include a 0.4-percent total rare earth oxide (TREO) cut off, an indicated resource of 4.5 million MT at 0.60-percent TREO and an inferred resource of 3.3 million MT at 0.63-percent TREO. It adds that “higher value” HREEs comprise 34 percent of the total REE content at Olserum, with the five critical REEs (dysprosium, terbium, europium, neodymium and yttrium) comprising approximately 40 percent of the REE content.

Along with Norra Karr, Olserum is the second of Tasman’s resource-stage REE projects. Together they make up the only two NI 43-101 compliant REE resources in the European Union.


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