17.07.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX - Australian Lynas Corporation Limited and Texan Blue Line Corporation are pleased to announce the signing of a letter of intent for a joint venture.
The goal is to develop and expand the rare earth separation capacity in the United States.
Lynas is the largest producer of rare earth materials outside of China and has a significant percentage of rare earths in their mines. Lynas has expertise in extraction, separation and mining. Lynas operates a mine in Western Australia and a separation plant in Malaysia.
The Blue Line Corporation is the leading American processor of rare earth products.
In the United States, there has been no separation capacity for rare earths for several years.
The joint venture between Lynas and Blue Line is intended to fill an important gap in the US supply chain. Rare earth
are key inputs for high technology and high-growth industries in the digital age. The Lynas / Blue
Line Joint Venture (JV) will help US companies continue to have access to rare earths. The JV would be the only major producer of rare earths
for medium and heavy rare earth products in the world outside of China. The main uses of rare earths include permanent magnets, catalysts, batteries, electronics,
Polishing powder and water treatment chemicals.
Important areas of use are:
• Automotive: vehicles with hybrid and electric drive
• Electronics and devices
• automation and defense systems
• Wind turbines
• Oil and gas refining
Lynas and Blue Line will work together next year to develop a rare earth separation plant at the Blue Line site in Hondo, Texas. First, the JV will focus on:
- Heavy rare earth separation (including dysprosium and terbium)
- Light rare earth separation (including neodymium, praseodymium and lanthanum).
The JV is majority owned by Lynas.
Institute for Rare Earths and Metals Arndt Uhlendorff - July 2019
