I read a lot. I listen twice as much as I read. It’s important to do both, but remember, you have two ears and one mouth, listen twice as much as you speak.
This is important. It’s not just the “noise” that is heard that makes it important. It is because of where the “noise” is sourced that makes a difference. For more than half a century, I’ve prided myself on following sources that few have or most listen to. In this case, the information is coming from both.
Listen & You Shall Hear
No, I’m not talking about the “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” but that was a pretty good ride. This world is changing. It’s been changing forever. The difference today is that everyone hears about it almost as it happens. This causes people, traders, to react in ways they did not in the past. That’s why it is essential to listen.
For a couple of years, the rare earth markets have been speaking to us all. It all began on the simple side, but with the Trump Era surge, news is hitting all day long. This is the news we look for and listen to. Remember, the battle against China has just begun. Realize that there are more worldwide players than just the United States.
Over the past couple of weeks, Arafura Rare Earths Limited (“ARU.AX”) has been at the forefront. It’s pretty cheap, but there are lots of shares out there. In recent weeks, there has been talk of an investment heading their way. Increasing volume has been noted, some of it ours, and those we advise who pay us for watching. At twenty cents a share, it is worth taking on a few shares and a little risk, but don’t be greedy.
While you are buying cheap stocks, check out Meteoric Resources (“METOF”). Like always, do your due diligence.
Ucore Has A Better Process
Everybody has a favorite. I‘m not a true “green” hugger, but I did enjoy my almost five years on Vancouver Island. I like Canada, but I like Texas better. Besides, Trudeau did not offer me the ability to stay in Canada as my adventure approached ‘five’ years, so I did what many Americans do, I left, and I’m glad I did.
Nonetheless, I do care about the environment. It’s part of our mission statement as we dig into the rare earth markets. China doesn’t care about the waste products emitted as they refine their rare earths. I often read that to be a problem, one that many of the domestic and internationally-based companies are looking at. That’s a good thing, and why Ucore Rare Metals (“UURAF”) has been in our portfolio and consulting interest list for months. The reason is their RapidSX™ separation platform. Take the time to read what’s presented and realize, we tend to give back. Enjoy it.
Ucore’s RapidSX™ is a next-generation Rare Earth Element (REE) separation platform designed to significantly improve upon the conventional solvent extraction methods. Here’s a detailed analysis of its development, techno-economic advantages, and its commercial roadmap.
What Is RapidSX™
Its hybrid design merges the proven chemistry of conventional solvent extraction (CSX) with a novel column-based contactor system, eliminating bulky mixer-settler units. It’s a 52-stage series of columns, each performs extract, scrub, strip, and rinse steps under automated control, allowing rapid chemical phase separation with high precision. It reaches equilibrium in under 100 seconds, compared to over 300 seconds in conventional systems, and there’s a much smaller footprint (about ⅓ the size of an equivalent CSX plant), with fewer infrastructure requirements.
It has an efficient solvent usage, too, reduced staffing, and minimized process cycles.
Suitable for capacities from ~1,000 tpa up to 10,000+ tpa, depending on the number of column trains. It’s capable of handling bastnäsite, monazite, ionic clays, MREOs, and MRECs from both heavy and light REE sources using interchangeable units.
A 52-stage pilot facility co-operated with Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM), is achieving operating milestones begun early 2023, including over 1 tonne of feedstock processed with >99% purity separation for Nd, Pr, Tb, Dy, and heavy REEs.
The US DoD threw $4.0 million into the mix a short while back to validate technical separation targets and milestone deliverables; it recently succeeded in isolating heavy REEs such as holmium through lutetium at high purity. $18.4 million followed last month to support scaled-up commercial-scale RapidSX™ machine deployment at the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex (SMC), in Alexandria, Louisiana, for heavy REE processing and high-temperature magnet materials.
There’s more to this story than meets the eye. We’re on top of it, and given we’re just about six hours from their plant, we’ve adopted Ucore as one of the most important new ventures on the market. We think it is going much higher. How about you?
I saw Fleetwood Mac many times in the past. There are many stocks I remember, but one that sticks in my mind is “World Turning”. It’s true. As discussed above, we have the ability to watch and know of these changes more rapidly than we did before. Still, change takes time. I love the rare earth industry, but it is just getting started. I like to be at the forefront of change. I’m seventy years old, but I’ll be happy and satisfied to wait for this industry to grow, thrive, and perpetuate.