Morocco Partners with UK’s Rainbow Rare Earths to Extract Metals from Phosphate Waste

The three parties to this agreement plan to "continue research" to improve the techniques for obtaining these metals "from phosphogypsum". These rare earths are increasingly used in various industrial sectors, explains the OCP group in a press release, stressing the interest of forging a partnership with Rainbow, a mining company that "has accumulated a lot of technical knowledge and experience in the field of phosphogypsum processing".

Phosphogypsum is the hydrated calcium sulfate resulting from the production of fertilizers from phosphate rock. Its use in agriculture, aeronautics, construction or the manufacture of electric vehicles, or even defense, has proven beneficial and has aroused interest in its production on a global scale and above all in setting up the necessary safety conditions for its use.

"We are delighted to sign this agreement with such innovative partners," said George Bennett, executive director of Rainbow, specifying that the British company is banking on "opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing as well as access to new supplies". The CEO of Rainbow also stressed the need for these materials to achieve "the success of the global transition to clean energy".

Rainbow, listed on the London Stock Exchange, is present in South Africa, where it is implementing the Phalaborwa project, and in Burundi, where it has carried out the extraction of the Gakara mines.