Rare Element Resources Produces First Total Rare Earth Oxide at Bear Lodge

On November 2, Rare Element Resources (LAC) announced the appointment of Josef Bilant as Chief Operating Officer and, critically, produced its first total rare earth oxide from its Bear Lodge project in Wyoming. This move marks a tangible step toward establishing a domestic rare earth supply chain, an objective often discussed but rarely demonstrated with physical output. The development highlights the ongoing effort to reduce reliance on foreign processing, particularly from China, which dominates the separation and refining stages of rare earth elements.

The Complexities of Rare Earth Separation

Producing a total rare earth oxide (TREO) is an early, but essential, step in a long and complex process. Rare earth elements, despite their name, are not particularly rare in the Earth's crust. The difficulty lies in their chemical similarity. They occur together in mineral deposits and are notoriously hard to separate from each other. This separation, known as solvent extraction, involves dissolving the crushed ore and then using a series of organic solvents and aqueous solutions, passed through hundreds or thousands of mixer-settler cells, to selectively pull out individual rare earth elements. Each element requires specific conditions, making the process capital-intensive, energy-intensive, and environmentally challenging. The purity of the separated oxides directly impacts their value and suitability for high-tech applications like magnets in EVs and wind turbines. Achieving commercial-grade purity, often 99.9% or higher for individual elements, is where the real bottleneck sits, and it is a stage that few non-Chinese operations have mastered at scale.

Operators in the Domestic Critical Minerals Space

Several companies are working to build out various parts of this domestic supply chain, from extraction to processing. MP Materials (MP), a significant name in the sector, operates the Mountain Pass mine in California, which is the only integrated rare earth mining and processing site in North America. They produce a rare earth concentrate, but historically, much of this concentrate has been shipped to China for final separation. The company has been working to bring full separation capabilities online at Mountain Pass, aiming to produce individual rare earth oxides domestically. In the lithium space, companies like Albemarle (ALB) and Lithium Americas (LAC) are focused on different aspects of the battery supply chain. Albemarle, a major global lithium producer, recently saw its Kemerton operations idled, which could impact supply. Lithium Americas, beyond its connection to Rare Element Resources, is advancing projects like Thacker Pass in Nevada, focusing on clay-based lithium extraction. Other players are tackling specific mineral deposits and processing technologies. ioneer Ltd (IONR) is developing the Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Nevada, a unique co-occurrence of two critical battery materials. Standard Lithium Ltd. (SLI) is advancing its Smackover brine project in Arkansas, focusing on direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies to recover lithium from existing brine operations. American Battery Technology Company (ABAT) is working on lithium-ion battery recycling and primary lithium hydroxide production from Nevada claystone. NioCorp Developments Ltd. (NB) is developing a niobium, scandium, and titanium project in Nebraska, with potential for rare earth element co-production. Atlas Lithium Corporation (ATLX) is progressing its hard-rock lithium projects in Brazil. Critical Metals Corp. (CRML) is involved in European lithium projects, as evidenced by its recent option scheme consideration for a European Lithium acquisition. USA Rare Earth, Inc. (USAR) is focused on its Round Top heavy rare earth and critical minerals project in Texas, aiming for a fully integrated domestic supply chain.

American Lithium Minerals, Inc.

American Lithium Minerals, Inc. (AMLM) trades over the counter and is an exploration stage company, pre-revenue. Its stated focus is lithium and boron properties in Nevada. The company filed a Regulation A offering on Form 1-A, qualified on February 4, 2026, for up to 80,000,000 units, with an additional 120,000,000 shares issuable if warrants are fully exercised. The current outstanding share count is available in the company's EDGAR filings. AMLM was incorporated in Nevada in 2005. Its primary asset is the Sarcobatus Lithium property, comprising 1,780 acres of mining claims in Central Nevada. The company has focused on lithium exploration in this region since 2009. While AMLM has acquired and divested cobalt, nickel, graphite, and rare earth element prospects in the past, its current stated emphasis is on the Sarcobatus lithium property. The public record does not yet establish a measured or indicated resource for the Sarcobatus project. The company also states an intention to expand its exploration and acquisition for mineral properties worldwide and is developing the use of Real World Asset Tokens for mining capital. Its long-term vision includes creating an interoperable ecosystem for asset acquisition, tokenization, and trading, encompassing various metals.

What to watch

The coming months will bring several key developments across the sector. For Rare Element Resources (LAC), watch for further updates on the Bear Lodge project, specifically regarding the progress of individual rare earth oxide separation and any permitting advancements for the project, as they continue to advance their plan. For MP Materials (MP), the crucial item is the full commissioning and ramp-up of their rare earth separation facility at Mountain Pass. Any announcements regarding purity levels and commercial-scale output of individual rare earth oxides will be significant. Lithium Americas (LAC) investors should monitor progress at Thacker Pass, particularly regarding permitting and construction timelines. For ioneer Ltd (IONR), the focus will be on the definitive feasibility study and permitting progress for the Rhyolite Ridge project. Standard Lithium Ltd. (SLI) will likely provide updates on the pilot plant operations and economic studies for its DLE projects. American Lithium Minerals (AMLM) investors should look for further exploration results from the Sarcobatus Lithium property and any updates on their broader strategy for mineral property acquisition and tokenization initiatives., { "label": "Concentrate", "note": "Crush ore, remove waste rock to enrich REE content.", "metric": "30-40% REE" }, { "label": "Total REO", "note": "Convert concentrate to mixed rare earth oxide.", "metric": "LAC Nov 2" }, { "label": "Separate REOs", "note": "Isolate individual rare earth oxides (e.g., Nd, Pr, Dy) to high purity.", "metric": "99.9% purity" }, { "label": "Metal & Magnet", "note": "Convert oxides to metal, then alloy for magnets and other applications." } ], "highlight": 3, "highlight_note": "Complex solvent extraction for individual REOs is capital-intensive and energy-intensive.", "footnote": "Source: PubCo Insight analysis of company news and industry reports" }