Aclara was founded to provide the world with a clean source of heavy rare earths outside of China. Aclara’s concessions are located in the Maule, Ñuble, Biobío and Araucanía regions of Chile, covering an extensive 451,985 hectares of land (1,1 million acres). Aclara is currently developing the Penco Module, which extends across 600 hectares (1,483 acres) about 15 kilometres from Chile’s second most important city: Concepción.
The Company aims to produce quality rare earth oxide baskets sourced from ionic clay deposits rich in heavy rare earths in order to become a leading supplier of choice for clean-tech companies and technologies integral to green energy.
In October, 2021, the Company issued a Preliminary Economic Assessment prepared by Ausenco for the Penco Module Project, its only material property for the purposes of NI 43-101.
The Company is advancing a revised and more robust EIA application. The main focus will be directed at completing baselines studies relating to flora and fauna to address the issues raised by the Environmental Assessment Authority (the “SEA”) during the original EIA process. The Company will use the work completed as part of the original EIA to accelerate the completion of the studies and aims to file a revised EIA application during the second quarter of 2023.
Exploration
In an effort to define potential new modules, Aclara is conducting an aggressive exploration plan at its other mining concessions that can be developed economically, and with a minimal environmental footprint.
Aclara announced an updated Resource for the Penco Module on December 1, 2022. Following drilling campaigns carried out during 2021 and 2022, a total of 5,298 m from 175 new drill holes were completed and incorporated into the updated resource. This work resulted in both the definition of a new resource area, Alexandra Poniente, as well as an increase in the Mineral Resources within the Project area.
The exploration and infill drilling program resulted in:
· The addition of Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Mineral Resources at Alexandra Poniente, a new area within the Project area to the north-west of Alexandra Oriente.
· The conversion of Inferred Mineral Resources from Luna, Victoria Norte, Alexandra Oriente, Victoria Sur, and Maite into Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources.
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To view the Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Penco Module, click here.
Aclara has worked with the University of Toronto in Canada, and the University of Concepcion in Chile, to develop an environmentally clean way of extracting rare earths from ionic clays, a type of deposit that offers several advantages relative to the more commonly occurring hard rock Rare Earth Element (REE) deposits.
The process has been named Circular Mineral Harvesting, and it is the cleanest way to extract rare earths, causing not only no harm to the environment, but the goal is to leave our project site even better than how we found it.
Aclara was awarded the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award, in the 2022 Sustainability Awards program. The Sustainability Awards honor those organizations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice or overall mission. (See press release)
While other rare earth miners pump ammonium sulfate into the ground and wait for the chemical to seep out with minerals, Aclara will dig out the clay, put it through a tank-leaching process with biodegradable chemicals and fertilizers, and return it to the ground in clean form. Water in the extraction process will be reused in order to use as little fresh water as possible.
The proposed process flowsheet has two patents in place that protect this innovation. The first has already been granted in all the countries that were requested: Chile, Brazil, US, and China, and the second patent has recently been filed and is pending to be granted.
