Leading Edge Materials Initiates Research on Hafnium and Zirconium Extraction from Norra Kärr Rare Earth Element Project, Sweden Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (“the “Company”) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) is pleased to provide an update on the first of a range of research projects aimed at capturing added value opportunities for the Norra Kärr rare earth element (“REE”) project in Sweden. A Pre-Feasibility Study completed on Norra Kärr in 2015 (“PFS”) identified a range of opportunities to improve project economics while reducing capital expenditure and minimizing the environmental footprint of the project.
The
Norra Kärr mine project is a mine project located in southern Sweden in
Jönköping County. Norra Kärr represents one of the largest zirconium
reserves in Sweden having estimated reserves of 58 million tonnes of ore
grading 1.7% zirconium metal. Wikipedia
Leading Edge Materials has partnered with a research team lead by Prof. Julien Leclaire at the Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (“ICBMS”) in Lyon, France to investigate the extraction and separation of hafnium and zirconium from a process material previously considered to be waste. Prof. Leclaire has worked extensively on highly selective extraction systems that apply carbon dioxide to form reversible extractive agents, with a focus on REEs in both primary and waste materials.
