Located in Uganda, Makuutu is an advanced, major, low-cost, rare earths development opportunity.
Makuutu has a current Minerals Resource of:
| Category | Estimation Domain | Tonnes (Mt) | TREO (ppm) | TREO no Ce2O3 (ppm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicated Resource | Clay | 9.5 | 750 | 520 |
| Inferred Resource | Clay | 69.1 | 860 | 620 |
| Total Resource | Clay | 78.6 | 840 | 610 |
There is significant upside to the current Mineral Resource, given less than 25% of the Exploration Target area has been drill tested, with 26 km of mineralisation corridor to explore.
The mineralisation at Makuutu has been confirmed as an ionic adsorption clay (“IAC”) rare earth mineralisation, akin to Chinese ionic clay projects.
Clay hosted deposits are currently the lowest cost sources of critical and heavy rare earths in the world, and the only economical source of heavy rare earth oxides (“HREO”). Exploration completed at Makuutu has confirmed near surface, high grade mineralisation, providing a low-cost mining pathway for IonicRE.
IonicRE has completed successful metallurgical testing at Makuutu which returned excellent recoveries of up to 75% TREE Ce, using simple extraction techniques. These results compare favourably to other known ionic clay hosted rare earth projects. Subsequent optimisation testing continues to improve upon this.
Makuutu is well-supported by tier-one infrastructure, with easy access to major highways and roads to site, nearby power infrastructure with readily available hydropower, rail, cell phone communications and water availability.
Clay hosted deposits are currently the lowest-cost sources of critical and heavy rare earths in the world. Exploration completed at Makuutu has confirmed near-surface, high-grade mineralization, providing a low-cost mining pathway for Ionic.
Ionic has completed successful metallurgic testing at Makuutu which returned excellent recoveries of up to 75% TREE Ce, using simple extraction techniques. These results compare favourably to other known ionic clay hosted rare earth projects
Makuutu is well-supported by tier-one infrastructure, with easy access to major highways and roads to site, nearby power infrastructure with readily available hydropower, rail, cell phone communications and water availability.
Ionic Rare Earths is focused on developing its flagship Makuutu Rare Earths project in Uganda into a significant, low-cost, supplier of high-value critical and heavy rare earth.
Makuutu is an advanced-stage, clay-hosted project highlighted by near-surface mineralization, significant exploration upside, excellent metallurgical characteristics, and access to tier-one infrastructure.
The clay-hosted geology at Makuutu is similar to major rare earths projects in Southern China, which are responsible for the majority of global supply of low cost rare earths, specifically the high value Heavy Rare Earths (>95% originating from ionic clays). Metallurgical testing at Makuutu has returned excellent recovery rates, which provide multiple avenues for a low-OPEX process route.
Makuutu is well-supported by tier-one existing infrastructure which includes access to major highways, roads, power, water and a professional workforce.
Rare Earths will play a critical role in the future of clean energy. Rare Earths are a key ingredient in the permanent magnets found in wind turbines and electric vehicles.
Ionic is led by an experienced and proven team, who have the capabilities to deliver Makuutu into production and realise value for all stakeholders.
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