Comments on: Rare Earth Bull

By: George Farmer

George Farmer — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 04:45:55 +0000

Mr. Lifton,
I wrote to you about a week ago, requesting what your thoughts were on Stans Energy. You replied that you really were not tracking them since information was so difficult to obtain., and their operations were shut down by government decree. Now that they are back in operation, and forging forward, in a quasi stable mode, I wonder if you have any recent news for us small investors? Or, where we might go to find out more. Is there a decent mining newsletter, which I might subscribe to? I also have positions in U-Core, and Alkane and American Vanadium.
Thank you again.for any response.
George Farmer

By: ROCKHOUND

ROCKHOUND — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:58:49 +0000

Hi, Jack would you elaborate on the chinese Solvents mentioned in above article? It seems there would be another potential chokepoint coming up
for out of china refining extraction/purification.
any other producers?
new Technology? my small but painful investment in Rare Earth Industries
did little to alleviate my curiosity into new technology, also, any comments on Orbite Garant Rare earth pregnant alumina refinment liquors.
Thanks, great Blog.

By: Positroll

Positroll — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:56:25 +0000

Do you think Rhodia would be a good fit for Alkane for a take.off agreement wrt Alk’s (radiation-free) REE solutions ?
So far discussion on blogs/boards that I read has rather turned around Japan/South Korea on the one hand, and Lynas on the other. But since Alk already has MoUs with European companies for its zirconium/niobium products …
Would they be in a position to help financing the DZP?

By: Jack Lifton

Jack Lifton — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:47:13 +0000

In reply to steph2638.

Stephane,

Thank you for bringing this up. Rhodia’s solvent-exchange plant in LaRochelle, France, has been there for a very long time, as the history of rare earths goes. I have personally been refused the opportunity to visit it as I have been refused a visitor’s pass to Mt Weld. Strangely I admire Rhodia’s technology and never say anything bad about it. Quite the contrary. I am writing a book on critical metals and my research leads me to believe that Rhodia was the global pioneer in large scale processing of the rare earths, and since Rhodia has never been out of the business-it moved S/X operations to China to have easier access to feed-stock- I conclude that it is the world’s premier processor of rare earths.

In any case, LaRochelle is today back up and running. Rhodia has a j/v with Belgium’s Umicore to recycle lighting scrap, among other rare earth containing scrap, to make phosphors for the lighting industry. Rhodia may also be looking at providing “jobbing” services to those who can bring it ore concentrates or process leach solutions to separate. This is not as easy as it seems, because you have to have mastered the skills of following separate batches through a very complex process management regime and also you need to get ores and or solutions that may contain measurable radioactivity onto and across the roads in La Belle France, not a task for the faint hearted. Of course if you have radiation-free feed-stock….

Thanks for the very good question,

Jack

By: steph2638

steph2638 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:33:54 +0000

Jack,
In yr article you write ”Outside of China, and previously in Japan and possibly Kyrgyzstan, no-one has yet constructed a SX operation with the capability to separate the HANREs.”
So what about Rhodia in La Rochelle, France?

By: Gareth Hatch

Gareth Hatch — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:12:42 +0000

@blackjack: sure – 23.3 % is a decent distribution. You’ll find that almost without exception, Y content dominates the fraction of HREEs in deposits with significant HREE:TREE ratios. I think it’s one of the reasons why some folks don’t like to call Y a rare earth (despite the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the official “keepers” of the periodic table of elements, clearly defining the rare earths to include Y).

I recognize the image whose link you posted above – but I can’t quite remember where it first appeared. I do remember sending its author a note at the time on the error for Alkane’s DZP, and not hearing back :-/

By: blackjack

blackjack — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 08:59:33 +0000

In a follow up to its earlier report the U.S. Department of Energy, Dec. 2011 – Critical Materials Strategy, examined the role that rare earth metals and other key materials play in clean energy technologies such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, solar cells and energy-efficient lighting.

The five rare earth metals – dysprosium, neodymium, terbium, europium and yttrium are considered to be the most critical of the elements considered in the report.

So ALKANE has a lot of Yttrium and this is also on the high demand list

So in demand and on the critical list = business 101

By: blackjack

blackjack — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:21:14 +0000

G – even 23.3% HR EE is higher than most
the numbers come from several sources = and include the ALK 60% figure includes yttrium and scandium – the Y is quiet high and considered in the HREE table

Source is http://www.australian-shares.com/forums/discussion/6215/20.html
and
http://www.australianrareearths.com/images/alk.gif

hope this helps

By: chihawk- Paul San Antonio

chihawk- Paul San Antonio — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 02:59:36 +0000

Jack Lifton (above): “I have been told that a HANRE-separation-capable facility is, in fact, being constructed in the Western Cape province of South Africa, by Great Western Minerals Group, but I do not know the timetable for that project.”

My understanding is GQD is designing the plant now, but there is no funding or construction at this point. Are you referring to future plans or did I miss important funding provided to GWMG?

By: Gareth Hatch

Gareth Hatch — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:05:40 +0000

@blackjack: Alkane Resources does NOT have 60% HREEs at its Dubbo Zirconia Project. Not sure from where this error first originated but it has been floating around for a while.

My numbers for oxides of Eu-Gd-Tb-Dy-Ho-Er-Tm-Yb-Lu-Y as a % of TREO for the projects you mentioned:

Bear Lodge (Bull Hill Zone): 3.5 %
Dong Pao: 1.6 %
Dubbo Zirconia Project: 23.3 %
Hoidas Lake: 3.7 %
Kvanefjeld: 11.8 %
Mount Weld (Central Lanthanide): 2.9 %
Mount Weld (Duncan): 10.3 %
Mountain Pass: 0.6 %
Nolans Bore: 3.3 %
Thor Lake (Nechalacho) 15.4 %