Molycorp Project Phoenix used a new technology multi stage...

Molycorp Project Phoenix used a new technology multi stage cracking facility that was able to process both the bastnesite and monazite present within Mt Pass ore body although not sure if it was actually successful. The old processing facility was on!y able to process the bastnesite ore using a roast-hydrochloric acid leach process, the monazite went to tailings.

For monazite present in the Mt Weld ore body, LAMP cracking & leaching facility uses a sulfuric acid bake process which would not be suitable for bastnesite.

Two very different processes extracting RE from monazite ore and bastnesite ore.