Lindian Resources Limited (ASX: LIN) has announced that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) successfully completed a downstream hydrometallurgical testwork program for the Kangankunde project. The results validate a conventional sulphuric acid flowsheet, achieving 98% NdPr extraction. This metallurgical success confirms the company’s ability to convert monazite concentrate into a high-value mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) while maintaining efficient impurity removal.

The testwork demonstrates that the process is both robust and scalable. During the bulk validation phase, the company achieved an overall 96% recovery rate for NdPr, with total impurity losses limited to approximately 1.1%. Furthermore, the final MREC product is independently certified as exempt from radioactive transport and handling standards under IAEA guidelines. By confirming that all uranium and thorium decay-chain radionuclides fall below analytical detection limits, the company has effectively simplified potential future logistics and broadened its market reach for downstream customers.

"These results mark the successful completion of ANSTO's downstream metallurgical program and represent the technical validation required to support Kangankunde's ambition to become one of the world's leading downstream monazite projects, subject to implementation at the SARECO facility."

"Collectively, these outcomes materially reduce technical and execution risk by confirming the process at scale, demonstrating repeatability across multiple concentrate feeds and validating the engineering basis for commercial MREC production."

— Zac Komur, Executive Director

The validated flowsheet is directly compatible with the existing infrastructure at the SARECO processing facility in Kazakhstan, where the company plans to produce MREC. By utilizing this established circuit and an existing sulphuric acid supply arrangement, Lindian aims to lower its technical and execution risks during the upcoming transition. The higher rare earth concentration achieved in the pregnant leach solution—reaching 21.1 g/L—serves as a commercial advantage by optimizing the sizing of tanks and filtration equipment, which in turn reduces overall reagent consumption.

This milestone effectively marks the transition from metallurgical validation to the implementation phase of the company's downstream strategy. With the engineering basis now established, the focus for the project shifts toward the practical application of these validated parameters at the SARECO plant. The successful completion of this program provides the necessary technical confidence to move forward with the goal of reaching commercial-scale production of mixed rare earth carbonate, with the integrated concentrate-to-MREC strategy remaining central to the company’s operational objectives for the near term.

Read the full announcement: ANSTO Confirms High 98% NdPr Extraction