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.
