Recent metallurgical testwork completed by Core Resources for Axel REE Limited’s (ASX: AXL) Woolrich deposit at the Caladão Rare Earth Elements and Gallium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, has validated Axel’s ionic REE in situ recovery development pathway under ISR-analogue conditions.

Column leach testing using a mild magnesium sulphate solution recovered up to 560ppm soluble TREO, exceeding previous diagnostic results and confirming the Woolrich ionic REE deposit can be recovered via an ISR process.

View the full ASX announcement here or read the summary below.

Key Results

• Column leach testing completed on ionic adsorption clay material from the Woolrich deposit delivered several important outcomes for Axel’s ISR development pathway:
• Proof of concept confirmed, with Woolrich ionic REE recoverable under ISR conditions using a mild magnesium sulphate solution
• Column leach test CLT-01 recovered 560ppm soluble TREO, exceeding the best previous diagnostic result
• CLT-01 recovered a magnet-rich basket containing 39% magnet rare earth oxides, including dysprosium and terbium
• Very low impurities were recorded throughout testing, including aluminium below 2ppm, iron below 0.5ppm, thorium below 5.5ppm and uranium below 4ppm

The ASX announcement notes that the column leach program has reproduced and exceeded earlier diagnostic testwork under dynamic, ISR-style flow conditions. These results are now generating hydraulic, kinetic and solution-chemistry inputs to support the design of Axel’s Woolrich ISR field exploratory test program.

Core’s Role

Core Resources is conducting the metallurgical testwork program at its Brisbane laboratory.

The program included column leach testing on a composite sample prepared from mineralised weathering-profile material considered representative of the Woolrich target area.

The testwork was designed to support laboratory-scale evaluation of reagent concentration, slurry pH response and column leach kinetics, while generating data needed to progress future field-scale ISR trials.

The ASX announcement states that the column tests are designed to simulate the percolation leaching process at a larger scale and under more representative conditions than bench-scale beaker tests, providing key data inputs for leach kinetics, rare earth recovery curves, reagent optimisation, impurity co-extraction profiles and field-test planning.

Next Steps

• The testwork outcomes will support Axel’s ongoing ISR development activities, including:
• Reviewing initial leach performance data from CLT-01 and CLT-02
• Commencing a second pair of columns, CLT-03 and CLT-04, once the initial data has been incorporated into the next-stage test design
• Continuing rare earth column leach testwork at Core Resources
• Completing additional metallurgical testwork relating to gallium and scandium recovery
• Assessing parameters required to support future field-scale in situ leach studies
• Planning the Woolrich ISR field exploratory test program, which Axel expects to commence in the December quarter of 2026

Want to learn more about how Core supports rare earth and critical minerals projects like Woolrich?

Visit our Metallurgical Testwork Services page or get in touch with our team to discuss how we can support your project.