Torngat Metals Ltd (“Torngat”) has joined with Metso, a global leader in mineral processing, for large-volume pilot scale processing with its leading-edge technology. This partnership is a core element of Torngat’s strategy to optimize its processes at large volume pilot scale, enabling world leading and rapid commissioning of its future full scale production operations to produce high purity separated rare earth oxides.
Torngat Metals Ltd. - Strange Lake, Nunavik, Québec, Canada. Image Credit: Business Wire
Torngat, a Québec based rare earths developer, has selected Metso as a strategic partner for pilot testing and optimizing processing solutions for the Strange Lake Rare Earth project. This project is pivotal to producing high-purity, rare-earth oxides essential for key low-carbon technologies including permanent magnets for electric motors in EVs, wind turbines and other low carbon technologies. Strange Lake’s unique geology offers the full suite of light and heavy rare earth elements not typically found in sufficient quantities in one project elsewhere.
This Torngat-Metso partnership builds on the companies’ existing collaboration, with the current agreement focused on large-volume pilot testing of the beneficiation (concentration) process using ore extracted from the Strange Lake deposit. The process incorporates advanced technologies including x-ray sensor-based ore sorting, magnetic separation, and flotation, based on Metso’s proprietary and leading-edge technology. This work is being executed in close collaboration with GTK (Geological Survey of Finland) in Outokumpu, Finland.
“We are very pleased to expand this partnership with Metso, not only because of its world leading mineral processing expertise and capabilities, but also because of the values we share in our commitment to enabling sustainability and decarbonization in our operations and in our communities,” noted Dirk Naumann, President and CEO of Torngat.
The first phase of work will be completed by the end of 2023, resulting in the production of a rare earth concentrate. The next phase of work will use the rare earth concentrate to scale-up and optimize the process to produce a mixed rare earth solution, based on Metso’s leading expertise in acid and heat-based minerals processing and purification. This phase of work will be done in collaboration with Metso’s heat transfer group in the U.S. and Germany. The companies’ partnership will lead to Metso providing production scale engineering and offering technology and equipment solutions for the future commercial operations with Torngat, supported by performance guarantees.
Koen Aberkrom, Director Solutions Sales at Metso commented: “We are excited to work with Torngat on the Strange Lake rare earth project, which will help address the critical global supply gap with the most sustainable and forward-thinking approaches.”