HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội has approved a controlled 18-month pilot programme to produce rare earth oxide with a purity of more than 95 per cent from domestically sourced ore at a semi-industrial scale, as Việt Nam seeks to test technology for deeper processing of its rare earth resources.

Under Decision No 4657/QĐ-UBND, signed on September 1 by Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Trương Việt Dũng, the Mining Technology and Construction Consultancy Joint Stock Company has been authorised to carry out the pilot project.

The pilot will test the production of total rare earth oxides (TREO) with a purity of more than 95 per cent from rare earth ore.

The processing line has a designed capacity of 100kg of run-of-mine ore per hour, with a maximum of 100 tonnes of ore permitted for the entire pilot. The ore will be sourced from the Đông Pao mine in Lai Châu Province.

The project aims to assess the stability and operating efficiency of the technology at semi-industrial scale and determine its potential for expansion to industrial production.

The results are expected to provide a scientific and practical basis for refining the technology and developing technical standards, regulations, economic-technical norms and management rules for deeper processing of rare earths.

The company must comply with national technical regulations on wastewater and emissions as well as requirements on radiation safety and the management of naturally occurring radioactive materials. — VNS