Texas Rare Earth Resources Testing Indicates Potentially Significant Economic Recoveries of Scandium

Rare Earth Deposits & Mining / Rare Earth Exploration, Mining, Processing, & Uses

Date posted: 08/17/15

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp., an exploration company targeting the heavy rare earths, reports that review of existing data and additional work by K-Tech Inc. at their lab in Lakeland, Florida indicate that potentially economically significant amounts of scandium are being leached from the Round Top rhyolite. Initial column leach tests were conducted by RDI Inc. in Denver, Colorado in 2013. These results led to TRER adoption of the heap leaching model for extraction of rare earth from the Round Top ore. Since that time the Company has reviewed the raw data to evaluate the potential of the high value trace elements, notably scandium. Careful review of the 2013 solution analyses indicates that if the scandium present in these leach solutions were recovered it would produce a projected 5,400 kilograms of scandium oxide per year in the envisioned 20,000 tonnes per day operation at Round Top. Dan Gorski, CEO, commented: Although the production of heavy rare earths is the primary objective at Round Top, the numerous other elements being recovered in leaching of this rock are proving to make a significant contribution to the potential revenue stream. To date, uranium, lithium, beryllium and now scandium show promise of being valuable by-products. Scandium in particular is significant because of its strategic nature, lack of a domestic supply and limited worldwide production. According to Adamas Intelligence, scandium sells for approximately $2,000-$5,000 per kilogram, depending on quality and purity characteristics. Furthermore, Adamas estimates annual worldwide production and consumption at 5,000 to 15,000 kilograms. The USGS reports that 100% of U.S. consumption of scandium in 2014 was imported, primarily from China. Scandium exhibits very good electrical conductivity and excellent heat stabilization qualities. The primary use for scandium today is in solid oxide fuel cells, where both of these attributes dramatically improved performance.