Great Northern Minerals (ASX: GNM) has signed an exclusive patent option agreement to support future development of its Catalyst Ridge rare earth element (REE) project in California.
Located in the renowned Mountain Pass district, Catalyst Ridge has shown significant potential for REEs and antimony in the company’s initial exploration of the project.
Now, in a strategic move that provides an opportunity to fast-track development of those high-value minerals, the company has reached an agreement with the University of Arizona to take advantage of a patented flotation technology for the processing of certain rare earth ores.
Significant REE Recovery
The university’s system has been shown to deliver between 80% and 90% REE recovery and produce 30% to 40% grade rare earth oxide, while reducing costs by approximately halving reagent use and lowering operating temperatures.
Extensive lab-scale testing on ore from the nearby Mountain Pass mine has so far validated the technology, and Great Northern will now provide material from Catalyst Ridge to advance the technology to the next stage of development.
Great Northern believes the technology offers both early-stage metallurgical de-risking and potential access to US critical minerals funding with alignment with the country’s national security supply chain strategies.
The company is also examining other critical mineral processing technology options as it takes Catalyst Ridge forward.
Timely Collaboration
“Given the current global significance of processing at the MP Materials Mountain Pass mine, this collaboration is especially timely,” Non-executive chair Eddie King said.
“By leveraging world-class research and proven flotation innovations, we aim to significantly enhance REE recovery and reduce processing costs.”
The company anticipates the program will run over a 24-month period, and feature key milestones including laboratory validation, flowsheet development, and scaling to a pilot progressing plant.
It will be led by associate professor Jinhong Zhang, a leading expert in flotation chemistry and surface characterisation with significant experience in mineral processing, environmental engineering, and nano-scale surface interactions.
