Quebec’s Government Invests in Development of Separation Process of Rare Earth Elements
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Geomega Resources Inc. has received the support of the Quebec Government, as part of the Plan Nord program, the Réseau Capital Baie-James, specifically the Société de développement de la Baie-James (SDBJ), and the Administration régionale Baie-James (ARBJ), by investing in the share capital of Innord Inc. to develop its proprietary separation process of rare earth elements (REE).
With this injection of additional funds, Innord, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GéoMégA, will receive a total of $500,000 from the Fonds du Plan Nord, the SDBJ and the ARBJ. Upon receiving of all the funds, GéoMégA will control 96.1 percent of Innord. The goal of this investment is to develop the process prototype to separate mixed REE concentrate into pure individual rare earth oxides.
The Société du Plan Nord is a strategic government partner that has common goals with GéoMégA and that is to develop a sustainable and competitive value added REE industry in northern Québec and Canada. The three main points of focus for the Plan Nord include the development of the economic potential of the region, the support of the development of the communities in the area and the protection of the environment. Innord’s proprietary separation process has the potential to meet all three of these objectives. Whether it is through exploiting the natural resources of northern Quebec like the REE/Nb Montviel project or through processing REE enriched recycled materials, industrial residues and by-products, separation into pure individual rare earth oxides is key in establishing a REE industry that in turn brings jobs to the area and helps develop the nearby communities. Furthermore, Innord’s separation process has the potential to significantly improve the environmental performance of REE separation in comparison to conventional techniques (i.e. solvent extraction and fractional precipitation) thus ensuring that the creation of an environmentally sustainable REE industry.
“After working tirelessly on demonstrating credibility in our process innovation, we are excited to be able to say now that we have the support of both the provincial and the federal governments through Quebec Government’s Plan Nord, the SDBJ and the ARBJ and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program. Having the support of the Plan Nord is a significant boost in support for Innord and its electrophoresis technology. We are excited to be able to count on the support of the Société du Plan Nord, the SDBJ and the l’ARBJ in bringing the rare earth industry to Quebec,” said Pouya Hajiani, chief technology officer of GéoMégA and the inventor of the physical separation process.
About GéoMégA
GéoMégA is a mineral exploration and evaluation company focused on the discovery and sustainable development of economic deposits of metals in Québec. GéoMégA is committed to meeting the Canadian mining industry standards and distinguishing itself with innovative engineering, stakeholders’ engagement and dedication to local transformation benefits.
To stop by GéoMégA’s website, CLICK HERE
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