I've been wondering why Ucore has not been able to garner any material non-dilutive funding. Is the RapidSX technology simply not economically viable? Do the owners (principally Orca/Randy Johnson and Concept Capital Management) not want to cede any de-facto control over the company?
I bring this up because I read a (pay-walled) article today from the WSG titled "The Rare Earths Mine That Won’t Need a Single Shovel". They are discussing a project in South Africa by Rainbow Rare Earths. It involves processing gypsum tailings.
What caught my eye and caused me to do a bit more dd was that RBW.L (or RBWRF as it trades on U.S. pink sheets) has secured funding: "... Brian Menell, CEO of TechMet, a U.S. government-backed critical-minerals investment company that recently invested $50 million in Rainbow."
Other tidbits: "Rainbow is now working with K-Tech, a Lakeland, Fla.-based chemical technology firm, on a novel approach to processing the rare earths further into more valuable rare-earth oxides. It is testing out a faster, more environmentally friendly way, known as continuous-ion chromatography, which has been used in photography." (K-Tech also calls themselves K-Technologies, Inc. on their web site).
Where is Techmet getting their funding? From DFC, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, a U.S. government organization as evidenced by their .gov url (www.dfc.gov).
In any case, it is worthwhile for those interested to read the article if they can avoid the paywall.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rare-earths-mine-that-wont-need-a-single-shovel-b962c661 And, here is the press release from TechMet.
https://www.techmet.com/press-release-05-october-2020/