Brazilian Rare Earths Achieves Very High 97% Rare Earth Recovery at 150°C
SYDNEY, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brazilian Rare Earths Limited (ASX: BRE / OTCQX: BRELY) (‘BRE’) is pleased to report the results of a metallurgical optimisation program conducted at CDTN, a Brazilian federal research institute with specialist capabilities in metallurgical process development.
The program independently validated low-temperature sulfuric acid curing at 150°C using standard equipment. Importantly, a 15 kg blended composite scale-up test replicated the very high extractions achieved at laboratory-scale, providing increased confidence in scalability.
Key Highlights
- Very High Extraction Rates: 97% for Total Rare Earth Oxides, 97% for Neodymium + Praseodymium, 83% for Dysprosium, 87% for Terbium and 97% for Uranium
- Low-Temperature Flowsheet: Peak extraction achieved at 150°C using a low-temperature, acid-cure process - removing the need for high temperature (>250°C) rotary kilns
- Low-Cost Processing: The low-temperature acid-cure process delivers high recoveries at materially lower energy intensity - supports potential for lower opex and capex flowsheet using conventional paddle mixers
- Exceptional End-to-End System Yields: When combined with recently announced ore sorting recovery of +95%, estimated total ‘mineral-to-product’ recovery of ~91% TREO and ~89% for Uranium
- Further Optimisation Upsides: Opportunities to shorten wash durations, optimise process acids and intensity, while maintaining or improving high extraction performance
| Table 1: Blended composite extraction results (15 kg) & end-to-end system yields | ||||||||
| Oxide | Head Grade (ppm) | Extraction (%) | End-to-End Yield (%) | Recovered Grade (ppm) | ||||
| TREO (Total Rare Earth Oxides) | 196,083 | 97 | 91 | 179,279 | ||||
| NdPr (Neodymium + Praseodymium) | 31,050 | 97 | 92 | 28,543 | ||||
| Tb (Terbium) | 246 | 87 | 82 | 203 | ||||
| Dy (Dysprosium) | 1,383 | 83 | 78 | 1,081 | ||||
| Y (Yttrium) | 6,361 | 84 | 79 | 5,019 | ||||
| U (Uranium) | 2,627 | 97 | 89 | 2,347 | ||||
| Note: End-to-end yield is calculated as the product of extraction rates achieved in the 15 kg blended composite metallurgical test, an ore-sorting recovery of 95%, and recoveries from additional downstream metallurgical steps previously evaluated by ANSTO to produce a Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate. Recovered grade is calculated as the product of head grade and end-to-end yield. | ||||||||
BRE Managing Director and CEO, Bernardo da Veiga, commented:
"Our metallurgy program validated a low-temperature, acid-cure process which delivers industry-leading recoveries for both rare earth and uranium products.
Importantly, the results support the potential for leading total system yields - from mineral to product - a key driver for efficiency and cost performance. When combined with Monte Alto’s ore sorting yield of +95%, the total system product recovery is 92% for NdPr, up to 82% for the heavy rare earths DyTb and Y, and 89% for uranium.
These results are key to unlocking value from the high-grade mineralisation across our Rocha da Rocha province. This acid-cure process eliminates the need for energy-intensive thermal cracking and supports the engineering simplicity required for scalable deployment at our centralised Camaçari rare earth processing hub.
We are now focused on applying this proven flowsheet to our broader resource base that will allow us to integrate multiple high-grade feedstocks into a flexible ‘hub-and-spoke’ production platform."
A link to the full release can be found .
Contacts
Bernardo Da Veiga, Managing Director and CEO
