Rare Element Resources
Bear Lodge Project
Canadian NI 43-101 Technical Report
October 9
th
, 2014
10135-200-46 - Rev. 0
17-54
Hydromet Plant Reagents Consumption
Table 17.7 presents the Hydromet plant reagents consumption, averaged over the
45 year life of the plant.
Table 17.7 - Hydromet Plant Reagents Consumption
Reagent
Consumption
Ratio to
Pre-
Conc.
Feed
Usage
stpd
stpy
Hydrochloric Acid**
146
51,221
0.25
Pre-concentrate Leach
Oxalic Acid**
67
23,534
0.11
Rare Earth Oxalates Precipitation
Nitric Acid (68%)
43
14,998
0.072
Rare Earth Oxide leach to soluble Rare
Earth Nitrates
Ammonium Hydroxide**
16
5,714
0.027
Rare Earth Hydroxide Precipitation
Limestone Powder**
23
86,411
0.42
Metal Carbonates Precipitation
Quicklime**
0.14
48
0.0002 pH Control & Metal Oxide Precipitation
Sodium Hydroxide
(50%w)
0.27
95
0.0004 Acid Vapor Neutralization
(Metric units not reported)
**Consumption is shown on 100% weight basis.
(Roche, 2014)
Electricity
The expected power consumption for the Hydromet Plant is approximately 1,750
kW/h.
Natural Gas
The expected natural gas consumption for the Hydromet Plant is 220 MM ft
3
(6.23
MM m
3
). Natural gas will be used as the primary energy source for the
hydrochloric acid regeneration process. This process involves the distillation of the
hydrochloric acid, requiring a large amount of energy in the form of steam. Other
significant uses of natural gas are for the Oxide kiln and various drying and
evaporation operations.
