Molycorp, who says it is currently “the Western Hemisphere’s only producer of rare earths,” has launched a new rare earth-based water purification technology called XSORBX^TM. XSORBX is a non-toxic, end-use water treatment product that uses rare earths produced by Molycorp at its Mountain Pass, California rare earth facility. Molycorp is now selling XSORBX for commercial use in the wastewater and industrial process markets, among others.“Since integrating XSORBX^M with our patented, rare earth-composition No-Phos^TM technology, which to date has yielded superior, cost-advantaged results, we’re seeing a greater than 20% increase in the removal of a wide range of impurities, such as nutrients, heavy metals, dyes, and other problematic contaminants,” said Ken Brummett, President and CEO of Bio-Chem Industries, a producer of water treatment products based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “The extraordinarily wide-spectrum effectiveness of this product — which can also remove pathogens, bacteria, viruses, and pharmaceuticals — promises to revolutionise water treatment in markets around the world.” Brummett also noted: “We have been importing rare earth materials for a number of years. However, the use of Molycorp’s XSORBX product allows Bio-Chem to eliminate its previous dependence on foreign sources.”Mark Smith, CEO of Molycorp, added: “The commercialization of XSORBX is an important milestone for Molycorp. It has enormous potential to help meet the unique drinking water challenges faced by the U.S. Armed Forces as well as nations that face challenges with delivering potable water on a daily basis. These are exciting areas of growth for our product.”

Colorado-based Molycorp, Inc. is the only rare earth oxide (REO), producer in the Western Hemisphere and currently produces approximately 3,000 t/y of commercial rare earth materials. Following the execution of its ‘mine-to-magnets’ strategy and completion of its modernisation and expansion efforts at its Mountain Pass processing facility in 2012, it expects to produce at a rate of 20,000 t/y of REO equivalent and will offer a range of products from high-purity rare earth oxides, rare earth metals, rare earth alloys, and permanent rare earth magnets.

Bio-Chem Industries, is a producer of all-natural, environmentally friendly alternatives to the hazardous chemicals typically used in wastewater treatment and recreational waters. It is the first company to recognise and use the advantages of XSORBX. Used in combination with its No-Phos product, Bio-Chem can now offer the best water treatment option available. Bio-Chem has developed and released some of the most important natural treatment products offered in the last 12 years. Its recognition of XSORBX reinforces to customers the company’s dedication to continuous improvement and technological innovation.