ReElement, Mitsubishi Materials team up to strengthen US critical mineral supply chains  

American rare earth refiner ReElement Technologies, a subsidiary of American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC), has announced a collaboration with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (MMC), which includes a strategic investment, and combines advanced feedstock sourcing, preprocessing, and refining capabilities. 

The investment, ReElement said, aligns both companies in advancing scalable, economically viable solutions for critical mineral supply chains across the United States and allied nations. 

ReElement and MMC said they aim to develop integrated, scalable solutions that enhance supply chain resilience while supporting domestic and allied manufacturing capabilities. 

In the US, the collaboration will focus on supporting ReElement’s refining operations through feedstock sourcing, tolling, and offtake opportunities, enabling the continued expansion of domestic refining capacity. 

In Japan, the companies said they will jointly evaluate opportunities to commercialize rare earth and critical mineral recycling solutions, leveraging MMC’s established recycling infrastructure and ReElement’s proprietary chromatographic refining platform. 

ReElement said its patented chromatography-based separation and purification technology enables the efficient processing of a wide range of feedstocks  — including recycled materials, mine waste, and primary ores  — into high-purity critical mineral products. 

Deals and expansions

Last year, ReElement said it will expand the operational equipment at its Noblesville plant in Indiana to meet surging demand for domestically sourced rare earth oxides. 

It also entered a $1.4 billion partnership with Vulcan Elements and the US government to scale the companies’ development of a domestic rare earth magnet supply chain. 

ReElement’s platform is designed to be modular, scalable, and environmentally responsible, with reduced capital intensity, lower operating costs, and minimized environmental impact, it said. 

The refining-first approach addresses one of the most significant bottlenecks in the global critical mineral supply chain — the ability to economically separate and purify materials at scale. 

“We are honored to partner with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, a global leader in materials innovation and resource circulation,” ReElement CEO Mark Jensen said in a news release. “Their commitment and long-term vision reinforce the importance of building secure and resilient critical mineral supply chains across the United States and allied nations.” 

“By combining MMC’s expertise in feedstock sourcing and recycling with ReElement’s refining-first platform, we are advancing a scalable and economically viable solution to the midstream bottleneck – one that supports both national security and long-term industrial competitiveness,” Jensen said.