Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp. announced third party confirmation by ALS Ltd. of Canada of in-house research that indicates the possibility of heap leaching Round Top rock. A sieved 2 to 4 mm (1/8th to 1/4 inch) fraction of the composite rhyolite sample being used for all metallurgical testing was submitted to Mountain States R&D International of Vail, Arizona to confirm in house research. This sample was leached in 14.7 gm/l (14.7% by wt) sulfuric acid at room temperature for two weeks. The ore and duplicate splits of the residue were analyzed by ALS Ltd. of Canada. These preliminary data derived from R&D efforts to determine the best processing option for this multi-element resource should be considered as indicative and deserving of ongoing studies to develop a technically and economically viable flowsheet. These results verify internal data and demonstrate that it is possible to achieve reasonably high recoveries of many of the heavy rare earth elements contained at Round Top and, in particular, high-value heavy rare earth elements, Dysprosium and Yttrium. The recovery of 51% of the contained uranium also holds potential to add another by-product revenue stream to potential operation. In addition to these leach tests, crushing tests done at Resource Development Inc. of Denver, Colorado show that whole rock crushed to 100% passing 1/2 inch yields only 2% passing through the 150 mesh screen (approximately 100 microns).

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp. announced the recovery of beryllium and lithium in leach solutions of Round Top rhyolite. It was previously thought that potentially economically important beryllium mineralization was limited to the contact zone at the base of the rhyolite, where a definitive feasibility study for a beryllium mine was done by Cyprus Minerals in the 1980's. A portion of the trace amounts of these elements that pervade the bulk rock now appear to be potentially recoverable by heap leach. Whole rock leaching of sieved 2 to 4 mm (1/8th to 1/4 inch) rhyolite particles tested at Mountain States R&D International of Vail, Arizona at room temperature in 14.7 gm/l (14.7% by wt) sulfuric acid for two weeks yielded potentially economically significant amounts of beryllium and lithium. The results from Mountain States and analysis by ALS Ltd. of Canada suggest that an operation mining and processing 14,500 tonnes per day could recover into solution annually approximately 22 tonnes of beryllium metal and 1,340 tonnes of lithium metal or approximately 62 tonnes of beryllium oxide and 7,173 tonnes of lithium carbonate, respectively. The potential economic significance of the presence of these non-rare earth elements in the leaching solution is the fact that once dissolved, they must be removed either to be disposed of as waste or to be sold as a commodity. Stripping metals from solution is typically by a well-established process. Beryllium is used in high-tech alloys, ceramics and electronics; lithium is a crucial component of the Li-ion batteries that power many portable electronic devices including electric vehicles. Prices for these commodities are believed to be high enough to warrant further work on economic possibilities of these metals.

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp. announced that in-house research on the mineralogy, geochemistry, and kinetics of direct acid leaching indicates that this simple process is effective in removing target heavy rare earth elements from coarse grains of Round Top rock. These continuing studies are defining the conditions under which approximately 150 grams per liter (15%) strength sulfuric acid successfully penetrates the grains and dissolves the valuable rare earth-containing minerals that are disseminated throughout the rhyolite host rock. Estimated recoveries into solution of the target heavy rare earths consistently exceed 80%. If the further technical results and economics of the leach process prove favorable, the combination of open pit mining and heap leaching could significantly decrease capital and operating costs for a heavy rare earth facility. This approach is in the process of being confirmed by independent third-party consulting laboratories and will be released upon completion.