US DOE Selects Project to Extract Rare Earths from Bauxite Waste, Aims to Reduce Foreign Dependence

[SMM Rare Earth Flash News] The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Phoenix Tailings, based in Oklahoma, for funding negotiations to support its construction of a demonstration facility that will produce high-purity rare earth metals from industrial scrap locally. The project aims to develop a new commercial pathway to realize domestic production of heavy rare earth metals. The project is part of the DOE's "Rare Earth Element Demonstration Facility Program" with a total investment of $134 million, but the specific amount reserved for Phoenix Tailings has not been disclosed.

[SMM Analysis：Rare Earth Scrap Recycling Slows as Tax Compliance Tightens, Impacting Production Rates]Recently, multiple rare earth scrap recycling enterprises reported that operating rates may decline in June-July. Large enterprises, with a higher proportion of self-procurement, are seeing more significant production reductions; small and medium-sized enterprises, relying less on self-procurement and more on processing orders, are relatively less affected.