Australia's Lynas makes heavy rare earths breakthrough in Malaysia

Australia's Lynas makes heavy rare earths breakthrough in Malaysia

Company now first outside of China commercially separating key materials.

SYDNEY -- Australia's Lynas says it has produced a heavy rare earth element for the first time at its refinery in Malaysia, marking a milestone for Western efforts to create alternative supply chains for the critical materials.

The company, the main source outside of China for light rare earths, including magnet materials neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), commissioned a production line for heavy rare earth separation earlier this year.

 KUALA LUMPUR (May 16): Lynas Rare Earths Malaysia has commenced its first production of separated heavy rare earths at its facility in Kuantan.

In a statement on Friday, the company noted that the facility is currently the only commercial producer of separated heavy rare earth products outside of China.   

This development, it said, reflects Malaysia’s increasing involvement in the global rare earths supply chain.

Dysprosium oxide (Dy) has been produced on a new heavy rare earths production line that was commissioned at Lynas Malaysia earlier this year. The facility is also scheduled to begin production of another key heavy rare earth product, terbium (Tb), in June.

According to the group, dysprosium and terbium are critical components in the manufacturing of high-performance rare earth magnets, which are widely used in electric vehicles and advanced electronic applications, including micro-capacitors.

“The development of our new heavy rare earths separation circuit reflects the unique skills and expertise of our people. I am extremely proud of the team’s achievement in delivering our first Dy production.

"The addition of separated heavy rare earths to our product suite sets both Lynas and Malaysia apart as a global supplier of the essential rare earth materials needed for 21st century manufacturing,’’ said Lynas Rare Earths chief executive officer and managing director Amanda Lacaze.  

Lynas Malaysia’s advanced materials plant is situated on a 100-hectare site within the Gebeng Industrial Estate, a petrochemical zone near Kuantan on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.   

Since its establishment in 2012, Lynas Malaysia has been supplying separated rare earth materials to customers across East Asia, the US, and Europe.

The facility processes Mt Weld concentrate and mixed rare earth carbonate through three key processing stages: cracking and leaching, solvent extraction, and product finishing.

The separated rare earth materials produced at the plant play a crucial role in various high-tech and forward-looking applications, including electronics, wind turbines, and hybrid and electric vehicles.