The demonstration plant was launched by Aclara Metals SpA, a 50/50 joint venture between Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA) and CAP S.A., and the technology draws on decades of metallurgical experience at CAP’s Huachipato steelworks in Talcahuano. The start-up ceremony was attended by Biobio Region Governor Sergio Giacaman along with regional mining and economy officials and executives of both companies.
Using a molten salt electrolysis process, the plant will convert neodymium and praseodymium oxides into metals and alloys. The facility was designed for a nominal production capacity of up to 175 kilograms of rare earth metal per day, with a target purity of at least 99.5 percent. The first phase centers on neodymium and praseodymium metals, with the joint venture evaluating a second demonstration stage that would add dysprosium oxide to produce a neodymium-praseodymium-dysprosium alloy.
Aclara said the plant complements its concentration pilot plants in Chile and Brazil and its separation pilot plant in Virginia, adding metallisation and alloy production to build what it describes as an end-to-end technology and production platform. The joint venture plans a series of production campaigns to test the plant’s ability to operate under stable, continuous industrial conditions. Operational data will inform basic engineering for a prospective industrial facility in Louisiana and feed predictive digital models for process optimization.