Summary: Axel REE has produced a small mixed rare-earth carbonate from laboratory column-leach solutions for its Woolrich deposit in Brazil. The test concentrated magnet rare earths and achieved high precipitation-stage efficiency, but it does not yet demonstrate field-scale recovery or commercial production.
Laboratory work produced a magnet-rich intermediate
Axel REE reported that independent laboratory work by CORE Resources produced 15.11 grams of dried mixed rare-earth carbonate, or MREC, from blended solutions generated in column-leach tests on material from the Woolrich ionic-adsorption-clay deposit.
The dried product contained 54.41% total rare-earth oxides by weight. Magnet rare-earth oxides represented 19.5% of the product and 35.9% of its total rare-earth-oxide content. Within the rare-earth basket, neodymium and praseodymium accounted for 34.1%, while dysprosium and terbium accounted for 1.75%.
Precipitation efficiency is not the same as overall recovery
The company reported calculated precipitation efficiencies of 97% for total rare-earth oxides and 99% for magnet rare-earth oxides. These percentages describe the precipitation step, based on assays of the feed solution and residual solution. They should not be interpreted as recovery from the original deposit through every stage of mining, leaching, purification, precipitation, and product finishing.
The MREC04 test used magnesium bicarbonate to precipitate rare earths from a blended pregnant leach solution. Under those laboratory conditions, the circuit produced the carbonate without a dedicated impurity-removal stage. Aluminium and iron concentrations in the feed solution were low enough to support direct precipitation in this test.
Why impurity control matters to magnet supply chains
MREC is an intermediate rather than a finished magnet material. It must still be separated and refined into individual oxides before conversion into metals, alloys, and permanent magnets. Product value therefore depends not only on total rare-earth content but also on the recoverable share of Nd, Pr, Dy, and Tb, as well as radionuclides and other impurities that affect processing.
The test product contained 0.78 parts per million uranium and 0.10 parts per million thorium. Axel described these values as encouraging, while also noting that further work is required to confirm consistent solution chemistry, precipitation performance, final product quality, and overall recovery.
What B2B buyers should watch next
- Results from representative and controlled field-scale leach testing.
- Mass balance and recovery across the complete process, not only precipitation.
- Repeatability of product composition across different deposit areas.
- Separation, refining, and qualification routes for the NdPr and DyTb content.
- Engineering and economic studies that convert laboratory performance into an operating design.
The result is a technical milestone because it connects leach-derived solutions to a saleable-type intermediate containing meaningful magnet rare-earth content. Commercial significance will depend on repeatable field performance, full-process recovery, scale-up, permits, capital, and downstream customer specifications.