As new rare earth resources are developed across the world to feed magnet supply chains that compete with China’s immense capabilites, the pressure is also mounting for innovation in processing and metallization. Now, two players in the fray, RSOLV Technologies and Alkemio Bioscience, have established a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing the development, validation and potential commercialization of an integrated modular rare earth and critical minerals recovery platform.
A letter of intent between them sets out a framework to combine RZOLV’s hydrometallurgical platform with Alkemio’s molecular-recognition separation and refining technology. RZOLV’s role is to unlock and mobilize the metals while Alkemio separates, upgrades and refines them. Together, the companies intend to evaluate a more complete, modular and potentially source-adjacent commercialization pathway extending from complex feedstocks through to separated rare earth products.
Alkemio is an Argentina-based deep tech company developing a modular rare earth separation and refining platform based on selective media and molecular-recognition technology. Its platform, depicted above, is intended to adapt to varied rare earth sources and enable selective capture, purification and upgrading of dissolved rare earth elements into higher-value products. Laboratory results indicate recovery efficiencies above 87% under controlled conditions. The modular configuration is designed to reduce processing stages and physical footprint compared to conventional solvent extraction methods.
RZOLV will provide its proprietary hydrometallurgical platform to unlock and mobilize rare earth elements and associated critical minerals from complex feedstocks, optimize extraction performance and generate stable, conditioned process solutions.
The objective is to integrate, develop, and validate the combined technologies as a complete modular processing pathway with the goal of advancing to pilot-scale demonstration and commercial deployment. Conventional rare earth refining can involve large centralized facilities, multiple solvent-extraction stages, significant reagent inventories and highly feed-specific process designs. These characteristics can make conventional refining difficult to deploy economically at smaller projects, remote mines, recycling operations or industrial-residue sites. By combining RZOLV’s hydrometallurgical platform with Alkemio’s downstream separation and refining technology, the companies aim to address both ends of the processing chain and build a project-specific pathway toward pilot validation, licensing and commercial deployment.
Alkemio’s platform is based on selective media and molecular-recognition technology. Because rare earth elements exhibit similar chemical behavior in solution, selective separation can be technically challenging. Alkemio’s approach is intended to create selective binding environments for targeted ions and enable modular recovery and product upgrading from appropriately conditioned process solutions.
It reports preliminary development targets that include facilities up to 200 times smaller, potential separation-circuit capital reductions of up to 80%, and potential incremental profit improvements for participating miners of up to 50%. The targets, however, are based on the company’s internal estimates and remain subject to confirmation through feed-specific testing, engineering, scale-up and independent economic validation.
Based in Vancouver, Canada, RZOLV has developed a water-based hydrometallurgical reagent system designed to dissolve and mobilize metals from complex feedstocks under comparatively mild processing conditions. Adaptable to a variety of metals including rare earth elements, the platform was originally engineered as a cyanide-free alternative for gold leaching, addressing both the toxicological risks and other challenges that cyanide use can create. The core design philosophy centers on generating what metallurgists call a pregnant liquor: a stable, metal-bearing aqueous solution that carries target elements in dissolved form, ready for downstream recovery operations.
“This LOI is an important step in forging a strategic relationship with Alkemio and advancing RZOLV’s commercialization strategy in rare earths and critical minerals,” commented Duane Nelson, president and CEO of RSOLV. “RZOLV’s proprietary hydrometallurgical platform is designed to unlock and mobilize metals from complex feedstocks, optimize extraction performance, and generate stable process solutions for downstream recovery.
“Alkemio’s complementary molecular-recognition technology could extend that capability through selective separation, refining and product upgrading. Together, we intend to evaluate a more complete modular platform and, if supported by the results, advance toward project-specific pilots, licensing and commercial deployment.”
Said Angel Centeno, CEO of Alkemio, “RZOLV’s ability to unlock rare earths and associated critical minerals from complex feedstocks and produce stable, conditioned process solutions addresses a key requirement for effective downstream separation. Combining RZOLV’s extraction platform with Alkemio’s molecular-recognition technology creates an opportunity to evaluate integrated solutions for selected feedstocks and build a disciplined pathway toward joint development and commercialization.”
