Aclara Receives Second Patent for its Innovative Process to Extract Sustainable Heavy Rare Earths

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 1, 2024 / Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or the "Company") (TSX:ARA) is pleased to announce that the second patent for its groundbreaking process to extract heavy rare earths in an environmentally friendly way has been received. The patent has been granted in Chile and is valid for 20 years. It centers around the innovative Circular Mineral Harvesting (CMH) process created by Aclara, a groundbreaking technique for processing ionic clays housing rare earths. CMH establishes a fully enclosed flowsheet, setting a new standard for sustainable rare earth extraction.

Circular Mineral Harvesting - Environmental Attributes:

• No crushing or milling required
• 95% of water used is recirculated
• 99% of the reagent (a common fertilizer) recycled back into the process
• No liquid residues and no tailings dam needed
• No radioactivity

Foto: Accesswire

Figure 1 - Circular Mineral Harvesting Process flowsheet schematic

This patent grants Aclara the right to exclude others from using or selling products made by our unique process. Special emphasis has been placed on two parts of the process; the water and the reagent recirculation components of the flowsheet, recycled with 95% and 99% efficiency respectively. Aclara stands apart from other mining operations in our sector by not having a tailings dam, a distinction achieved through the absence of liquid residues. At the end of the extraction process, Aclara's environmentally friendly spent clays are suitable for revegetation with native species, reinforcing the eco-friendly nature of the Company's extraction process.

Barry Murphy, COO commented:

"This is a great milestone for Aclara, putting the company on track to become the cleanest source of heavy rare earths in the world. This patent underscores our commitment to innovation in the Rare Earths industry. Our team's ongoing dedication to advancing environmental standards goes hand in hand with our continuous efforts to optimize both CAPEX and OPEX, solidifying our leadership in responsible resource extraction."

Our process has been successfully tested at our Pilot Plant in Concepcion, Chile, with ionic clays from our Chilean project last year, and where the ionic clays from our Brazilian project are being processed. We are expecting to produce around 10 kilograms of a high-purity heavy rare earths concentrate for commercial uses, and we should have the results of this piloting campaign in the next month.