Texas Rare Earth Resources (OTCQX:TRER) reported that recent metallurgical analyses have indicated the potential to economically recover significant amounts of industrial minerals from its Round Top deposit in Texas.

As quoted in the press release:

These minerals are contained in the primary leach solution (PLS) that we expect to produce from the rhyolite we mine from the Company’s Round Top deposit in southwestern Texas.

Initial column leach tests of the Round Top ore, which formed the basis for the Company’s 2013 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), were conducted by RDI Inc. in Denver. This work successfully demonstrated the efficient recovery of the rare earth elements by leaching crushed rhyolite ore with dilute sulfuric acid. In addition to the rare earth elements, a variety of other elements were leached from the source rock. Our primary objective had been to develop an economically feasible method of recovering the rare earth elements from the primary leach solution in order to produce a feedstock acceptable for a separation plant.

We have pursued rare earth separation by assessing the viability of K-Technologies’ continuous ion exchange/ continuous ion chromatography (CIX/CIC) technology. We are now addressing the potential of the other elements that are present in the primary leach solution. Sulfates of aluminum are widely marketed as a water treatment agent and sulfates of iron, magnesium and potassium are commonly used fertilizer products. Internal analysis of data from the 2013 column leach tests indicates that if these four elements were recovered, they would potentially produce the following tonnages per year in the envisioned 20,000 tonnes per day operation at Round Top:

Mineral	Potential Annual Recovery (Metric Tons)	Current Price Per Ton*
Aluminum Sulfate	182,000 MT	$150-220
Ferrous Sulfate	71,000 MT	$80-100
Magnesium Sulfate	44,000 MT	$75-130
Potassium Sulfate	33,000 MT	$700-735

Click here for the full press release.

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