MTM Critical Metals (ASX: MTM) has achieved a major breakthrough in its innovative Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology, achieving enhanced efficiencies in rare earth element (REE) processing beyond previously reported results.
This achievement marks a significant milestone for MTM, further reinforcing the potential to revolutionise and improve the economics and sustainability of traditional REE processing methods.
The FJH process provides a transformative alternative to traditional "cracking and leaching" methods for REE processing, which rely on energy-intensive high-temperature sulfuric acid baking and large volumes of water, generating significant gypsum waste and associated environmental and cost challenges. By producing purified REE chlorides in a single step, FJH technology offers substantial economic and environmental advantages.
“This breakthrough in REE processing simplifies rare earth extraction by producing REE-chlorides - a more valuable, easier-to-handle, and refined intermediate compared to traditional REE-sulphates,” MTM Managing Director and CEO, Michael Walshe, said.
“This includes the highly valuable and strategically critical magnet REEs: Nd, Pr, Dy, and Tb. Building on previous successes, it highlights the transformative potential of FJH technology to deliver higher efficiencies and a more sustainable alternative to incumbent methods.
“The optimisation achieved highlights our ability to not only match traditional processing methods in recovery but also remove major impurities in a single step, significantly reducing water consumption, chemical reagent usage, and the complexity of downstream refinement.
“The resulting economic and environmental benefits are expected to be substantial. Amid current geopolitical dynamics and the urgent need to reduce reliance on Chinese REE supply chains, MTM is well-positioned to provide a critical alternative. We look forward to advancing collaborations to bring this game-changing technology to market."
MTM is advancing an innovative alternative processing route for REEs that has the potential to streamline production, reduce costs, and minimise environmental impact. Conventional REE production involves multiple stages - sulfuric acid cracking, leaching, and complex solvent extraction - which require significant acid, large volumes of water, and generate substantial by-products, including iron phosphor-gypsum and magnesium-rich gypsum.
MTM’s proposed method leverages FJH chlorination and carbochlorination to directly convert flotation concentrate into REE chlorides potentially
By focusing on producing REE chlorides directly from flotation concentrate, MTM aims to establish a more sustainable, cost-effective pathway for REE production, positioning itself at the forefront of technological innovation in the critical minerals sector.
This breakthrough significantly reduces process complexity and water consumption while producing REE-chlorides, a far easier-to-handle and more refined intermediate compared to traditional REE-sulphates, offering substantial economic and operational advantages.
The process has achieved exceptionally high removal efficiencies for all REEs, most notably for the valuable magnet REEs - Nd, Pr, Dy, and Tb - even at this early, unoptimised stage. This underscores its transformative potential for the industry and highlights the technology’s strong commercial potential.
