Axel REE Hits 95% Gallium Extraction at Tiger Creek in Independent Test
Key Takeaways
- Independent testwork by CORE Resources confirmed 95% gallium and 74% scandium extraction from Tiger Creek composite sample COMP001, using oxalic acid at 90°C and 100 g/L.
- Gallium extraction has risen from approximately 25% in July 2025 to 50% in January 2026 to 90–95% in the current CORE program — a clear and rapid upward trajectory across three successive programs.
- Above 90% gallium extraction was achieved using two entirely different acid systems — sulphuric and oxalic — meaning the project is not locked into a single chemistry pathway.
- Scandium co-recovery above 70% has now been confirmed in a second independent program on Tiger Creek material, adding confidence that scandium is a genuine dual-metal feature of Caladão mineralisation.
- The next phase targets reagent consumption reduction, improved selectivity against aluminium and iron, and downstream gallium and scandium recovery from solution — no scoping or feasibility study has been completed yet.
95% gallium extraction confirmed at Tiger Creek in independent testwork
Independent testwork by CORE Resources Pty Ltd has returned up to 95% gallium (Ga) and 74% scandium (Sc) extraction on composite sample COMP001 from the Tiger Creek target at Axel REE Limited’s Caladão Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The result continues a clear upward trajectory across successive programs: from approximately 25% Ga extraction in July 2025, to approximately 50% in the January 2026 ANSTO program, and now 90–95% in the current CORE program.
The composite sample assayed at 63ppm Ga, above the wider Inferred Gallium Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) grade of approximately 38ppm Ga across the 439Mt Caladão Project. These results are not representative of the broader resource. Tiger Creek itself hosts an Inferred Mineral Resource of 85Mt @ 40ppm Ga and 1,050ppm TREO (Total Rare Earth Oxide), within the broader Caladão Project gallium MRE.
The Caladão rare earth discovery established the broader geological foundation underpinning this metallurgical program, with the 439Mt project hosting ionic clay-style mineralisation across multiple target areas including Tiger Creek.
Patience Mpofu, Managing Director
“Reaching 95% gallium extraction at Tiger Creek is a real step forward for our metallurgical program. We also achieved above 90% gallium extraction using two entirely different acid systems, with scandium extraction of up to 74%, so we are not locked into one chemistry at this stage…”
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What the testwork showed — two acid systems, strong dual-metal results
CORE completed a sighter atmospheric leach program on COMP001, comprising 18 batch leach tests using sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) and oxalic acid as lixiviants. Tests were conducted at 10% w/w solids for 48 hours, at target temperatures of 50°C, 70°C and 90°C, and target acid concentrations of 25 g/L, 50 g/L and 100 g/L. All tests ran at atmospheric pressure.
The three best-performing tests from the program are summarised below:
| Test | Lixiviant | Temp & Conc | Ga Extraction | Sc Extraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LT09 | H₂SO₄ | 90°C, 100 g/L | 90% | 70% |
| LT17 | Oxalic | 90°C, 50 g/L | 87% | 71% |
| LT18 | Oxalic | 90°C, 100 g/L | 95% | 74% |
Key findings from the program include:
- LT18 (oxalic acid, 100 g/L, 90°C): returned 95% Ga and 74% Sc extraction, with 39% TREO extraction, at oxalic acid consumption of 1,072 kg/t of feed.
- LT17 (oxalic acid, 50 g/L, 90°C): returned 87% Ga and 71% Sc, bringing acid consumption down to 801 kg/t — CORE’s nominated preferred oxalic acid condition for further investigation.
- LT09 (sulphuric acid, 100 g/L, 90°C): returned 90% Ga and 70% Sc at 747 kg/t of feed, a significant result in a conventional sulphate system.
CORE found that raising temperature generally did more for extraction than raising acid concentration, particularly with sulphuric acid. That observation points to potential scope for maintaining high extraction rates at lower acid concentrations, which the next phase of work will target.
Scandium extraction has now been confirmed in a second independent program, on material from Tiger Creek, Area B — following the January 2026 result on Area A material, which adds confidence to scandium co-recovery as a genuine feature of Caladão material.
Why gallium matters — a supply chain under pressure
Gallium is not mined directly. It is produced predominantly as a by-product of alumina refining — the processing of bauxite ore — which makes primary supply structurally constrained. You cannot simply open more gallium mines; output is tied to alumina production decisions made for entirely different commercial reasons.
China dominates global primary gallium production. That concentration of supply creates structural risk for technology industries dependent on gallium, including semiconductors, light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturing, and defence electronics. When a single country controls the majority of production for a critical input, any disruption — whether geopolitical, regulatory, or logistical — flows rapidly through the supply chain.
This context is what gives alternative gallium recovery pathways strategic relevance beyond a project’s resource size alone. Identifying new sources of gallium supply, particularly in stable jurisdictions and using recoverable-grade material, carries value that is difficult to price from a resource estimate alone. The acid leach approach being developed at Caladão sits within that broader context.
Gallium recovery pathways outside the conventional alumina refining chain have attracted increased strategic attention as supply chain concentration risks have become more apparent to technology and defence manufacturers.
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What comes next — from dissolution to recovery
The CORE program has answered the primary question: gallium and scandium in Caladão material are amenable to acidic leaching. The metallurgical challenge now shifts from whether these metals can be leached to how efficiently and selectively this can be achieved.
The next phase targets three specific objectives:
- Reduce reagent consumption — current sighter-scale consumption of 747–1,072 kg/t of feed reflects unoptimised fixed conditions and is not indicative of a commercial process. Parameters including acid concentration, temperature, residence time, solids density, counter-current staging, and acid recycling or regeneration have not been optimised.
- Improve selectivity against aluminium and iron — the conditions that produced high gallium extraction also dissolved significant aluminium and iron. Indicative aluminium extraction was approximately 93–98% and iron extraction approximately 89–96% in the top-performing tests, limiting selectivity in the pregnant leach solution (the metal-bearing liquid produced after leaching).
- Recover gallium and scandium from solution — the conceptual process flowsheet (Figure 2 in the source announcement) presents a five-stage framework: Feed → Leaching → Impurity Control → Ion Exchange → Ga/Sc Recovery. Leaching has now been demonstrated; impurity control and downstream recovery steps are the planned next stages.
It is important to note that no scoping study, pre-feasibility study, or feasibility study has been completed. No flowsheet has been selected, and no assessment of economic viability has been made. The process route is a conceptual framework guiding the testwork program.
The gallium and scandium acid leach pathway is also being evaluated separately from Axel REE’s magnesium sulphate in situ recovery (ISR) development program for ionic clay-hosted rare earths. These are distinct metallurgical pathways being advanced in parallel.
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