Axel REE Produces High-Grade MREC in Metallurgical Testing at Woolrich Ionic Rare Earths Deposit

What happened

Axel REE produced 15.11 grams of dried mixed rare earth carbonate grading 54.4% total rare earth oxides from Woolrich deposit samples. Testing in Australia achieved about 97% total rare earth oxides and 99% mixed rare earth oxides precipitation without the costly impurity removal stage.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

Skipping impurity removal could cut processing steps and costs, which matters because rare earth projects often struggle to turn ore into saleable product profitably. A simpler recovery flowsheet may lower future capital spending and operating costs, improving project economics.

Analyst inference

Rare earth prices and magnet demand shape project value, and neodymium-praseodymium plus dysprosium-terbium together made up 35.9% of the oxide basket. Low uranium and thorium levels may ease handling and regulatory hurdles compared with deposits carrying more radioactive material.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Watch further metallurgical test work on Woolrich samples, since these results come from a blended feed of pregnant leach solution and filtrate rather than a full-scale continuous process. Confirmed
2. The article suggests potential for a simplified rare earth recovery flowsheet using magnesium sulphate leaching; watch whether Axel REE advances this into pilot testing. Proposed
3. Track whether low uranium and thorium readings hold in larger samples, because radioactivity levels affect permitting, waste handling, and processing costs for any future mine. Analyst inference

Evidence

• smallcaps.com.au