RENO, Nev., Dec. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Clean Resources Group Inc. (OTC: ACRG), a critical minerals processing company, announced the formation of Nexus 7 Elements LLC, a joint venture with Energ4 Mining Company LLC to commercialize rare earth element and mineral recovery technology across ACRG’s processing hub network.

“By combining our feedstock access and infrastructure with Energ4's CHIPS™ technology, we're creating a scalable platform to help meet America’s demand for domestically sourced critical minerals,” said Tawana Bain, CEO and chairwoman of ACRG. “This joint venture supports our mission to recover valuable minerals responsibly and strengthen national security and clean energy goals.”

Beyond mining tailings, the joint venture positions ACRG to process coal ash, fly ash and legacy coal dumps, feedstocks abundant in the eastern United States, especially Appalachia. These materials contain concentrations of rare earth elements and critical minerals, and their processing supports domestic supply chains and remediation of legacy energy sites. This extends ACRG’s CMPH strategy from the western United States to a national footprint.

The joint venture combines ACRG’s feedstocks, infrastructure and public platform with Energ4's patented Clean Mineral Processing – CHIPS™ (Chemelectrosonication Ionization Precipitation System) technology for extracting rare earth elements from existing feedstocks of gold, silver, platinum-group metals and vanadium. The REEs from these feedstocks are critical to U.S. manufacturing independence for renewable energy technologies (wind turbines, EVs), military equipment, electronics, key automotive components and chemical manufacturing.

“This partnership with ACRG is about building plants, not science projects,” said Trever Leamon, CEO of Energ4 Mining Company LLC. “ACRG's critical minerals processing hub is the place to run CHIPS™ at full commercial speed on domestic feedstocks and prove how effectively we can recover rare earths and other critical minerals from material already here in the United States. It’s a step toward cutting dependence on imported minerals and proving this platform can scale.”

Work will begin at the 207-acre site in Winnie, Texas, which offers expansion capacity and outdoor processing areas with access to shipping channels, Interstate 10 and air transportation. The facility will test and validate CHIPS™ technology across domestic feedstocks and support scale-up and applications for federal funding for commercial deployment, with the site serving as a technology development and customer testing center before commercial deployment at ACRG’s critical minerals processing hub in Nevada. Commercial-scale deployment is expected within 12 to 18 months, a rapid timeline for bringing a new critical minerals recovery technology to market, with additional hubs planned across the western United States as the model is proven.

Critical Minerals Processing Hub Model

Nexus 7 Elements will serve as the technology backbone for ACRG's critical minerals processing hub strategy. Rather than developing traditional mining operations, the CMPH model establishes regional processing centers that:

• process tailings and other feedstocks from multiple sources in a geographic region
• prove technologies like CHIPS™ to recover minerals efficiently
• minimize environmental impact through closed-loop processing systems
• create centralized infrastructure that can serve multiple feedstock suppliers
• support domestic supply chains for minerals essential to clean energy and national security

The first CMPH deployment will be at ACRG's facility in Nevada, with additional hubs planned across the western United States as the model is proven and scaled.

Transaction Structure

Under the terms of the agreement:

• ACRG holds 51 percent ownership through its wholly owned subsidiary, providing governance oversight and strategic direction
• Energ4’s newly formed entity holds 49 percent ownership and will manage day-to-day operations
• Energ4’s team will serve in key operational roles, including CEO and president of the joint venture

Technology Overview

The CHIPS™ technology is a multi-stage electrochemical and sonochemical process that selectively recovers precious metals, platinum-group metals, rare earth elements and other critical minerals from tailings, clays and other complex feedstocks. The process emphasizes:

• high recovery rates across multiple target elements
• minimal environmental impact through closed-loop water and reagent recycling
• scalability from pilot to commercial operations
• compatibility with diverse feedstock types
• recovery of rare earth elements from coal ash, fly ash and legacy coal materials, enabling CMPH expansion into eastern U.S. feedstock regions

Strategic Benefits

For ACRG:

• access to proven REE and critical mineral processing technology
• capability to process diverse feedstocks across the CMPH network
• stronger positioning for Department of Energy grants
• expanded revenue streams beyond precious metals recovery
• alignment with federal priorities for domestic critical mineral production

For Energ4:

• access to feedstocks and processing infrastructure
• a public company platform for capital formation and partnerships
• opportunity to demonstrate technology at commercial scale
• partnership with a NYSE-bound entity with institutional relationships

For U.S. critical minerals strategy:

• advancement of domestic rare earth element processing capacit
• reduced dependence on foreign sources
• support for clean energy and national security supply chains
• demonstration of responsible extraction methods

Market Opportunity

The United States imports more than 80 percent of its rare earth elements, and China controls about 70 percent of global processing capacity. Rare earth elements and critical minerals are designated as essential to national security, energy infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. With bipartisan recognition of supply chain vulnerabilities, federal agencies including the Departments of Defense and Energy continue to allocate resources to domestic production. This policy consensus, combined with demand from defense, technology and clean energy sectors, creates a strong market for domestic processing.

ACRG and Energ4 believe Nexus 7 Elements is positioned to capitalize through:

• domestic feedstocks that require no new mining
• processing technology applicable to multiple feedstock types
• a strategic location in Nevada, a tier-one mining jurisdiction
• alignment with federal funding priorities
• a scalable CMPH model that will expand across the United States

About American Clean Resources Group Inc.

American Clean Resources Group (OTC: ACRG) is a critical minerals processing company pioneering the Critical Minerals Processing Hub model. ACRG establishes regional processing centers that use advanced technologies to recover gold, silver, rare earth elements and critical minerals from tailings and other feedstocks. The company’s facility in Nevada anchors expansion across the western United States. ACRG is pursuing a Nasdaq uplisting and holds about $400 million in gold and silver mining assets. More information is available at www.acrgincorp.com.

About Energ4 Mining Company LLC

Energ4 Mining Company LLC is a Wyoming-based mineral processing technology company specializing in the recovery of precious metals, platinum-group metals and rare earth elements from complex feedstocks. Its proprietary CHIPS™ technology uses electrochemical and sonochemical processes to achieve high recovery rates with minimal environmental impact.

About Nexus 7 Elements LLC

Nexus 7 Elements LLC is a joint venture formed by American Clean Resources Group and Energ4 Mining Company to commercialize critical mineral processing technology across ACRG's Critical Minerals Processing Hub network. The company combines feedstock access, infrastructure and public company resources with advanced processing technology to support domestic critical mineral supply chains.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements relate to future events or ACRG’s future financial performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the joint venture’s ability to deploy CHIPS™ technology; recovery rates and processing capabilities; timelines for commercial operations; potential Department of Energy funding; market opportunities for domestic critical mineral processing; the scalability of the CMPH model; and ACRG’s strategic objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially due to various factors. ACRG undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Media Contact: Michael Ceraso, American Clean Resources Group, Inc. [email protected]

Investor Relations: Peyton Jackson, American Clean Resources Group, Inc. [email protected]