Ucore Rare Metals Inc. has produced 99.5% neodymium-praseodymium sample material from a second feedstock source at its Commercialization and Demonstration Facility in Kingston, Ontario. The processing milestone supports ongoing and planned customer qualifications for the company's rare earth separation technology.

The latest batch was processed from approximately five tonnes of mixed rare earth carbonate derived from North American bastnaesite source material. This follows earlier qualification work that involved shipping initial neodymium-praseodymium oxide samples processed from approximately two tonnes of Vietnamese mixed rare earth oxide derived from ionic clay source material.

The test work utilizes Ucore's RapidSX technology platform, which has accumulated more than 7,400 hours of simulated commercial runtime at the Kingston facility. The operational data directly supports the design of the developing Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex, a project backed by a USD$22.4 million U.S. Department of War Other Transaction Agreement.

“Ucore is executing a very deliberate plan for the development of its first RapidSX™ production 'Machine A' at the Louisiana SMC,” stated Mike Schrider, P.E., Ucore's Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “The work done at the CDF directly supports and validates the SMC engineering program while simultaneously demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology platform. Our work in Kingston will continue to serve as a co-commissioning, technology development and training center to support and de-risk our commercial endeavors.”

— Mike Schrider, P.E., Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Ucore is executing a broader engineering and procurement plan for the deployment of its first RapidSX production unit at the Louisiana facility. Looking ahead to commercial milestones, Ucore plans to initiate a long-term commercial supply agreement with Vulcan Elements in 2027.

Read the full announcement: Ucore Demonstrates the Flexibility of RapidSX(TM) by Producing 99.5% NdPr from Multiple Sources