South Africa Rainbow Rare Earths Recycling Project Completes 75% Process Flowsheet Definition

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 21, UK mining company Rainbow Rare Earths announced the latest progress on the Phalaborwa rare earth recycling project in South Africa, with approximately 75% of the process flowsheet having completed definition and ready to enter the engineering design phase of the definitive feasibility study. The company has selected Canada's Neo Performance Materials as its solvent extraction technology partner, and related testwork has commenced in Estonia. The project plans to publish pre-feasibility study results in the fourth quarter of 2026 and complete the definitive feasibility study in the first half of 2027.

The project recovers rare earth elements from existing phosphogypsum stacks in the Phalaborwa area of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Rainbow has established a laboratory in Johannesburg and operates a hydrometallurgical pilot plant, and has been able to continuously produce high-grade rare earth solution for downstream separation. The company previously conducted separation testwork using continuous ion chromatography technology; as the test results did not meet expectations, it decided to switch the final separation step to a solvent extraction route.

The new separation flowsheet is supported by Neo Performance Materials, with target products including separated neodymium-praseodymium oxide and rare earth carbonate products containing samarium, europium, gadolinium, dysprosium, terbium and yttrium. The two parties are currently conducting independent solvent extraction bench-scale and pilot-scale testwork at Neo's facility in Estonia using high-grade rare earth solution produced from the Phalaborwa project. The technology cooperation also plans to be accompanied by a long-term product offtake arrangement, with a formal binding agreement still being drafted.

After completing testing of the standalone separation step in Estonia, Rainbow plans to operate an integrated solvent extraction pilot plant at its Johannesburg laboratory, using the test results for the process design of the Phalaborwa project's definitive feasibility study. The pre-feasibility study planned for publication in the fourth quarter of 2026 will define the final products, processing flowsheet and waste stream composition, and will serve as the basis for restarting project financing and permitting work.

As of June 30, 2026, Rainbow held US$12.9 million in cash. The company completed an equity financing of approximately £11.1 million in April this year, equivalent to approximately US$14.7 million, to fund project testwork, engineering studies and subsequent development work.