Rare earths: Aclara will explore area near Chapada dos Veadeiros4 Nov 2023 15:35
Https://www.jornalopcao.com.br/meio-ambiente/terras-raras-multinacional-vai-explorar-area-proxima-a-chapada-dos-veadeiros-546153/
01 November 2023 at 10h27
The area covers about 1,400 hectares, with potential for lateral expansion, in the northern region of Goiás
The multinational Aclara Resources has discovered a new heavy rare earth element (HREE) in Goiás, hosted in ionic clays in the "Carina Module". The area covers about 1,400 hectares, with potential for lateral expansion, in the region of Nova Roma, north of Goiás, near Chapada dos Veadeiros. Rare earths are present in more than two hundred and fifty known mineral species. However, only in some of these species do rare earths occur in sufficient concentration to justify their exploitation.
Aclara Resources, which has the Hochschild Mining group as one of its main shareholders, will invest around R$ 2 billion in the production of minerals on land in the municipality. The company, which has almost 100% of the works completed in the region, intends to start gold exploration in the first half of 2024.
"Aclara is seeking to introduce a new and sustainable way of extracting rare earths in Goiás, with a mission very similar to what was applied in Chile. In the first survey, the results were promising. We have very close water resources, electricity, excellent roads," explained the exploration manager, Jorge Frutuoso.
He further explained that the next goal is to collect a large-volume sample to do a larger-scale process test than is bench-top to verify feasibility and confirm the potential of the project as early as the first half of 2024. In the coming months, an estimate of resources will be made, a preliminary economic assessment will be developed and the last topic is piloting with the ore.
The initial drilling campaign, which took place between February and August this year, consisted of 1,693 meters of drilling, resulting in 238 onshore drillings. The company claims that its extraction process does not involve blasting, crushing or milling. In addition, it does not generate tailings, eliminating the need for a tailings storage facility. It uses 100% recycled water and minimizes water consumption through high levels of recirculation. "The ionic clay raw material is susceptible to leaching with fertilizer and no harmful radionuclides are produced," he stresses.
What are Rare Earths?
The main mineral species containing rare earths are monazite, bastnaesite, xenothyme, and rare earth-bearing clays adsorbed in ionic form. These clays, exploited only in China, and xenothyme are the main sources of heavy rare earths. Monazite and bastnaesite are also important sources of rare earths, especially mild ones.
Large deposits of bastnaesite are found in China and the United States. In Brazil, Australia, India, South Africa, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, rare earth elements occur in monazite and in sands with other heavy minerals. It is also important to highlight the occurrenc
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