Faster processing times result in a RapidSX™ facility with smaller size, lower construction cost, and a reduced time to get back to a steady-state processing condition after a disruption. Further, the RapidSX facility can be faster to commission for a variety of feedstocks, and less expensive to operate given lower required levels of staffing, maintenance, and process chemicals when compared to a CSX plant of the same capacity.
RapidSX™ technology offers modular and scalable process lines, providing potential JV partners and licensees with the opportunity for in-situ production capacity in the future.
The modular design and interchangeability of all RapidSX™ components to process the unit operational steps of SX chemistry (i.e., Extract, Scrub, Strip, Wash and Neutralization) make it readily reconfigurable for the separation of any combination of HREE and LREE feedstocks utilizing the same equipment.
Ucore and Kingston Processing Metallurgy’s (KPM) scientific and engineering experts are showcasing the technology’s capability to separate rare earths at the Commercial Demonstration Plant, with thousands of hours dedicated to this purpose.
These trials aim to validate OEM product standards and facilitate a scale-up towards Ucore’s anticipated 5,000-tonne annual TREO Strategic Metals Complex in Alexandria, Louisiana. The Strategic Metals Complex will produce commercial grade rare earth oxides.
RapidSX™ can be applicable to the processing of a diversity of metals currently refined with SX.
Once its Louisiana SMC is operational Ucore’s focus will shift to expand into other critical materials.
How Ucore’s RapidSX™ Column Solvent Extraction is Changing Rare Earth Separation
Ucore’s innovative column-based solvent extraction method is designed for the separation of both light and heavy rare earth elements. This method stands out from traditional solvent extraction as it efficiently blends aqueous and organic solutions without the need for a powered mixing tank, courtesy of Ucore’s unique contactor column and phase separator. The compact design of RapidSX™ columns and separators effectively replaces bulky, electrically-driven mixer/settler tanks found in conventional methods, leading to a more streamlined and cost-friendly REE processing approach.
Revolutionizing Efficiency: RapidSX™ Delivers 3X Faster Chemical Reactions
While it employs the same chemical reaction as the conventional method, its enhanced application offers numerous advantages. Independent assessments show that the RapidSX™ system produces the required chemical reactions three times faster than its conventional counterpart, resulting in reduced processing times and lower construction and operational expenses. This also results in further benefits such as adaptability to diverse feedstocks and a quicker recovery to stable processing post-interruptions.
Entering the Final Stages of Commercialization
RapidSX™ produces the same REE outputs as conventional facilities. In collaboration with Kingston Processing Metallurgy, Inc. (KPM), Ucore is on the brink of fully commercializing RapidSX™. This initiative is being carried out at Ucore’s RapidSX™ Commercialization and Demonstration Facility, featuring the 52-Stage RapidSX™ Commercial Demonstration Plant.
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