Arafura Resources utilizes a hydrochloric acid process. It...

Arafura Resources utilizes a hydrochloric acid process. It works with a rare earth chloride that can be run on a smaller scale as it is run at much higher concentrations. As the process isn’t simple, the development wouldn’t have been possible without piloting. When the flow rates, concentration, and temperature is stable throughout the whole SX circuit, the chemicals are stabilized and tend to work really well. Arafura Resources ran the pilot plant at ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology) for the separation circuits. This pilot ran for 2 weeks and produced really good quality material in the end.

It was important for the company to precipitate out the final product. As the company was aiming for a 99.5% rare earth oxide product, it couldn’t afford to have any sodium, chlorides, or sulphates in the final product. This is a fairly complicated process and the company is currently building it into its design. The company has 7-day liquor storage in front of the solvent extraction. Once the solvent is stabilized, the company can keep running the process regardless of what is happening in the rest of the circuit.