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Pioneering Rare Earths Project in Limpopo Heralds Economic and Environmental Promise

Published November 18, 2024
3 months ago

In the shadow of the Soutpansberg mountain range of South Africa’s Limpopo province, an ambitious project is unfolding that could place the region on the map as a key provider of rare earth elements (REEs) crucial for the global shift towards green technology. With the rare earths recovery project currently underway, Rainbow Rare Earths is making strides to tackle both environmental waste and economic recovery with one pioneering solution.





The company has identified a significant deposit of high-grade rare earth elements embedded in gypsum stacks at Phalaborwa. These resources are estimated to sustain 16 years of recovery operations, yielding approximately 150,000 tons of essential REEs—namely, neodymium and praseodymium, among others. These elements are integral components of permanent magnets used in various green technologies, including electric vehicles and wind turbines.


George Bennett, CEO of London-listed Rainbow Rare Earths, has conveyed confidence in the Limpopo project, even at a time when many rare earth ventures struggle with profitability due to volatile market prices. Rainbow has streamlined operations to achieve an incredibly low operating expenditure (opex), positioning the project favorably against both Western and Eastern competitors.


Recent price trends show a recovery for neodymium and praseodymium, climbing back to around $60 per kilogram. With historical peaks reaching $180 per kilogram, Rainbow's projection of growing market demand aligns with wider industry forecasts.


This project breaks new ground by being the first commercial recovery of REEs from phosphogypsum, a byproduct of phosphate fertilizers produced by Foskor for over 60 years. In collaboration with Mintek, South Africa's Council for Mineral Technology, Rainbow has developed a unique flowsheet that allows commercial extraction from this waste material, effectively reducing environmental impact while tapping into economic opportunity.


The collaboration with Mintek has already seen the successful construction and operation of a large-scale pilot plant that processes 20 kg of feed per hour. The project's demonstration of its ability to efficiently reclaim these rare elements from the phosphate gypsum stacks has been met with success.


Rainbow's vision for the Phalaborwa site includes not just economic extraction but also environmental rehabilitation, transforming unlined, hazardous gypsum stacks into a cleaner state. The company has already provided considerable infrastructure improvements to the brownfield site, improving its sustainability and readiness for expanded operations.


This hybrid of environmental and business ingenuity showcased during the Mintek@90 event underscores both Rainbow’s commitment and South Africa's potential in contributing to the global green economy. It is a story of innovation and resilience, marking a stride forward in both industry sustainability and the crucial diversification of the global rare earths supply chain.


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