Aclara Resources, Virginia Tech launch rare earths separation pilot plant

[Ben Graham]

Aclara Resources (TSX: ARA) a clean tech company working to build an ESG-aligned supply chain for rare earths outside of Asia with pilot operations in Brazil and mining development in Chile, announced Tuesday a strategic partnership with Virginia Tech to operate its rare earths separation pilot plant at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.  

The facility, the company said, will produce over 99.5% pure didymium (NdPr), terbium (Tb), and dysprosium (Dy) from Aclara’s sustainable Brazil-sourced feedstock—creating a Brazil–US supply chain for critical heavy rare earth elements outside of China. 

The rare earths developer has said its Carina deposit, in the state of Goiás, Brazil could generate 191 tonnes a year of dysprosium and terbium heavy rare earths used in electric vehicle manufacturing. 

Aclara opened in April its semi-industrial heavy rare earth pilot plant, which it will use to test the production of dysprosium and terbium from ionic clay extracted from its Carina project.  

Last month, the company formed an alliance with Stanford University to accelerate the development of AI innovations aimed at securing a sustainable supply chain for heavy rare earth elements 

The partnership unites Aclara’s proprietary separation technology with Virginia Tech’s leadership in mining and materials science to strengthen domestic access to critical minerals, advance R&D, and prepare the next generation of skilled talent, the company said in a news release.