Rare-earths production in US and Malaysia announced
Two critical minerals producers have expanded their capabilities, reducing reliance on Chinese imports.
Energy Fuels in the US reports it has successfully produced its first kilogramme of high-purity terbium oxide at White Mesa Mill, Utah, from monazite ore mined in Florida and Georgia.
They claim this is the first demonstration of capability by a US mine to provide heavy rare-earth (HRE) oxides used in key commercial and defence technologies.
They also say they achieved a purity of 99.9% terbium at pilot scale, meeting the specifications of global manufacturers of rare-earth permanent magnets. This follows the company’s production of nearly 30kg of 99.9% pure dysprosium oxide, also used in permanent magnets.
White Mesa Mill expects to continue producing terbium oxide at an approximate rate of 1kg per week in its existing pilot circuit, followed by pilot production of samarium, europium and gadolinium oxides.
Energy Fuels believes it is the first US company in decades to produce high-purity terbium oxide from a primary mineral feedstock and publicly disclose actual production volumes and purities sufficient for downstream metal and alloy validation.
The company also plans to expand commercial production capability of these HRE elements at its existing mill circuits, including the ability to separate others such as yttrium and lutetium if there is sufficient demand.
It adds that both its terbium and dysprosium oxides have been requested by several magnet and original equipment manufacturers globally, to begin product validation.
These are normally subject to Chinese export controls, so secure Western supply chains are useful.
Terbium and dysprosium help make superior permanent magnet products for electric vehicles, drones, robotics and defence technologies by improving operational capabilities in high-heat conditions, and enabling smaller, lighter and more powerful motors and actuators.
Energy Fuels says it expects to continue sourcing monazite ore from US companies, as well as from allied nations including Australia, Madagascar and Brazil.
Elsewhere, Lynas Rare Earths in Malaysia claims it has achieved its first production of samarium oxide, adding to its existing dysprosium and terbium products, which it says enhances its position as the 'only commercial producer of separated HRE oxides outside China'.
Samarium oxide is sought after to be used in high-performance magnets for electronics, aerospace, optical, catalyst and medical applications.
This is part of the company’s expansion of its HRE separation facility, a key initiative in its Towards 2030 growth strategy. Lynas says first production of samarium oxide was forecast for April 2026, so it has been delivered ahead of schedule.
Similar to Energy Fuels, the company’s initial flowsheet involves progressively adding the capacity for separating samarium, gadolinium, dysprosium, terbium, yttrium and lutetium.
In future, Lynas will consider expanding its suite of HRE products to include, in particular, europium, holmium, ytterbium and erbium, depending on commercial agreements.
