Aclara Technologies Selected for DOE Initiative, to Use AI for Rare Earth Separation Optimization

Meteoric Resources Ltd (ASX: MEI) announced a strategic partnership with POSCO International to advance its rare earth project in Brazil, including the potential supply of up to 30% of Caldeira's output to POSCO, as well as collaboration on project financing. A non-binding memorandum of strategic partnership was signed with POSCO International Corporation. POSCO may secure supply of up to 30% of Caldeira's rare earth materials over a potential term of up to seven years.

A consortium formed by Iluka Resources and RareX has been shortlisted for the final bidding stage of the Mrima Hill rare earth mine project in Kenya. RareX’s development strategy focuses on mining, preliminary processing, and enhancing local value addition, including producing phosphate and manganese by-products, while further rare earth processing is planned to be carried out at Iluka’s Eneabba smelter in Western Australia, built with a $1.8 billion investment. The Kenyan government is now requiring shortlisted parties to submit formal development proposals to advance the decision-making process. The Mrima Hill niobium and rare earth mine is a carbonatite deposit, with rare earth oxides estimated at approximately 6.1 million mt and substantial niobium resources, considered one of the top 10 rare earth projects in the world.

Toronto-listed rare earth developer Aclara Resources has been selected by the US Department of Energy (DoE) as a recipient of federal funding to advance AI-driven processing of heavy rare earths. The DoE’s Genesis Mission Initiative (GMI) aims to develop AI technologies to optimize domestic rare earth separation processes, and the success of the first-phase project will help the second-phase project secure additional federal funding. Aclara’s first-phase project, named “AI-Enabled Process Optimization for Multi-Feed Rare Earth Separation”, seeks to apply AI to optimize the analysis of rare earth elements from multiple raw material sources, improve process efficiency, product quality and operational stability, while accelerating the commercialization of domestic rare earth processing technology.