China's Cerium Oxide Imports and Exports by Country in March 2025

【SMM Rare Earth Flash】 Researchers at West Virginia University are extracting rare earths from acid mine drainage at abandoned coal mines. At a pilot site in Mount Storm, West Virginia, mine water is treated to extract high-concentration rare earths, with purified water safely returned to the environment. The facility produces about 4 t/y of rare earth oxides, ~45% heavy rare earths. The team aims to expand, potentially producing 300 t/y to meet 7-8% of global Tb and Dy demand. The project achieves both environmental cleanup and rare earth recovery.

【SMM Rare Earth Flash】 American Rare Earths has signed an MOU with Novex to convert separated rare earth oxides from its Halleck Creek project in Wyoming into metals for permanent magnets, building a domestic U.S. mine-to-magnet supply chain. Novex will support improving recovery, purity, and product qualification rates for NdPr, Tb, Dy, Sm, and Y, and will receive oxides from the demonstration plant to convert into magnet precursor metals. The parties will also co-design a metal production facility and study a fully U.S.-sourced and processed supply chain.

【SMM Rare Earth Flash】 Canadian critical minerals developer Leading Edge Materials has completed the second tranche of its private placement, bringing total funds raised to **C$4.3 million** (approx. US$3.1 million) toward a C$6 million target, with the remainder expected by September 25. Proceeds will fund pre-feasibility studies and environmental permitting for the Norra Karr heavy rare earth project in southern Sweden, as well as studies on a potential restart of the Woxna graphite mine and 12 months of working capital. Norra Karr was granted a 25-year mining concession on June 28. The eudialyte-hosted deposit has an Inferred Resource of 110 million tonnes at 0.5% TREO, with 52% HREO. According to a 2021 PEA, the project could operate for 26 years, producing an average of 5,340 t/y mixed rare earth oxides, including 248 t/y Dy₂O₃ and 36 t/y Tb₂O₃. The company targets production within approximately four years.