Electrified Materials adds processing capacity

American Resources Corp., Fishers, Indiana, says its wholly owned subsidiary Electrified Materials Corp. (EMCO), has expanded its preprocessing capabilities by procuring additional equipment and processing capacity at its Indiana facility.

The new processing line expands metals and minerals recycler EMCO's ability to aggregate, process and condition magnet materials, copper, aluminum and ferrous metals recovered from end-of-life products and manufacturing scrap. These materials include rare earth elements (REE) and critical mineral feedstocks that will be conditioned into optimal forms for refining, American Resources Corp. says.

The conditioned rare earth and critical mineral materials will be supplied to ReElement Technologies Corp., also in Indiana, for separation, purification and refining into high-purity rare earth oxides (REO) to be supplied to downstream manufacturing partners supporting electrification, defense and advanced manufacturing markets.

RELATED: ERI, ReElement Technologies partnership targets rare earth elements

"This expansion represents another important step toward establishing the first fully domestic circular supply chain for rare earth elements,” Mark Jensen, chairman and CEO of American Resources Corp., says. “Electrified Materials focuses on the aggregation and preprocessing of critical mineral and rare earth feedstocks, while ReElement provides advanced separation and refining capabilities to produce ultra-high-purity materials. Together, these platforms create a scalable and efficient life-cycle solution for critical minerals within the United States."

The expansion is in response to increasing volumes of recycled feedstocks EMCO is receiving and growing market demand for domestically produced high-purity rare earth oxides.

The company’s near-term expansion is expected to be supported by a private capital raise and previously announced recycling grant initiatives from the state of Indiana. The capital raise is intended to support the continued scaling of EMCO's processing capacity in anticipation of a planned spin-off of Electrified Materials into a stand-alone publicly listed company on a national exchange, American Resources Corp. says.

Electrified Materials and ReElement represent an integrated approach to recycling and refining critical minerals, American Resources Corp. says. Conditioned materials from EMCO are supplied to ReElement, which uses its patented chromatography-based separation and purification technology to refine these materials in an economically viable, scalable and environmentally responsible way.

"The recycling industry remains highly fragmented, but we believe Electrified Materials' collaborative model positions the company to become a leader in circular supply chain solutions for rare earth elements and critical minerals," Jensen says. "By combining efficient material recovery with innovative refining technologies, we are building a scalable platform that supports domestic manufacturing and strengthens U.S. mineral independence."

American Resources Corp. says it plans to position EMCO as an independent growth platform with its own capital structure to support future expansion initiatives, providing greater strategic flexibility to scale its operations while supporting the development of a fully domestic circular supply chain for rare earth elements and critical minerals.

In related news, ReElement has filed a new patent application designed to complement direct lithium extraction (DLE) processes for producing high-purity lithium products from lithium-bearing brines.

ReElement says the newly filed patent expands its intellectual property portfolio and reflects its continued leadership in advancing innovative, modular and environmentally responsible refining technologies.

While DLE technologies efficiently extract and concentrate lithium from brines, ReElement says its refining platform can convert those concentrated streams into high-purity, battery-grade lithium products. “The combination enhances overall process efficiency, reduces cost, optimizes recovery and improves final product purity,” according to the company.

"Many in the market view emerging refining technologies as competitive alternatives," Jensen says. "Our approach has always been complementary. DLE works exceptionally well at extraction and concentration from brines, and our chromatography platform works exceptionally well at separation and purification. When integrated, the result is a more efficient, scalable and economically competitive pathway to battery-grade lithium."