GMDC Advances for Rare Earths Push with Indigenous Processing Technology from BARC

Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited receives indigenous rare earth processing technology from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for its Ambadungar project, enabling pilot-scale recovery of rare earths and strengthening India’s critical mineral and Atmanirbhar Bharat strategy.

NEW DELHI: Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd has taken an innovative step as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the premier R&D institute under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has transferred an indigenous rare earth processing technology to the Corporation for its Ambadungar Rare Earth Project.

The technology transfer event took place in BARC Campus, Trombay in presence of The Director, BARC and The Director, Materials Group – BARC along with the officials of GMDC Ltd. Developed by BARC, the fully indigenous technology titled “Process for the Recovery of Rare Earth Values from Ankeritic Ore Body of Ambadungar, Gujarat, India (CH48MinD)” is designed to produce Mixed Rare Earth Concentrate (MREC) from the Ambadungar hard-rock ankeritic ore. The process provides GMDC with a robust pathway to address ore-specific technical challenges and lays the foundation for pilot-scale validation.

GMDC intends to deploy the technology initially at the pilot scale basis, with continued technical support from BARC, to undertake process validation, recovery optimisation and environmental performance assessment, prior to advancing the project to subsequent stages. GMDC also proposes to leverage its promoted institution, the International Centre of Excellence in Mining Safety and Automation (iCEM), Ahmedabad, for pilot-scale and analytical testing activities. This approach is expected to optimise timelines and strengthen institutional capabilities.

Commenting on this significant milestone, Shri Roopwant Singh, IAS, Managing Director, GMDC, said: “The transfer of the rare earth processing technology from BARC for the Ambadungar REE Project represents an important step in GMDC’s rare earths journey. It strengthens our ability to develop the project in a systematic and responsible manner, while building an end-to-end, future-ready rare earths value chain. Our focus remains on long-term value creation in alignment with India’s critical mineral strategy and the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.”