I think the calls for more "metallurgical testing" have been an...

I think the calls for more "metallurgical testing" have been an attempt to spook shareholders... the weak acid digest is a metallurgical test. It's shown that the chemistry works - the REE's are easily removed from the clay. In a weak acid solution the REE's are soluble (dissolve into their ionic form in solution). I think the risk is upscaling this work from a laboratory scale to a pilot plant scale... I'm thinking particle size analysis to determine what size fraction contains the REE's and then optimising a pilot scale plant to physically separate the good from the bad, prior to chemical separation (e.g grinding, cyclones etc)?? That would reduce the consumption/cost of chemicals. But this isnt the first ionic clay plant to be built... Im sure the consultants that DM1 has employed are all over the direction that they want to go. The important metallurgical test has been done for me - it's economically viable to separate the REE's from the clay. The rest is optimisation as things are progressed and scaled up. I'm happy to leave that to the experts employed by DM1. I also think the information provided in this thread for IXR's process, using new chemicals to bond with the REE's is interesting. It just shows that the processes for REE extraction from clays are evolving and there are a host of options out there. Don't let the dooms dayers spook you with mystical "metallurgical" show stopper predictions. Metallurgy just relates to the physical and chemical properties of a metal, concerning its production. Let's not over cook all this with REE "metallurgy" smoke and mirrors.