Clean TeQ Water has signed a services agreement with a leading critical minerals developer to deliver a structured program of ion exchanged-based purification testwork.
December 15, 2025 -- The program will help the client evaluate improvements to their processing flowsheet, focusing on purification stages where ion exchange can provide targeted impurity control and operational simplicity compared with conventional solvent extraction techniques.
Clean TeQ Water was selected for the work based on our ion-exchange expertise, dedicated laboratory infrastructure, ability to rapidly assess techno–economic feasibility, and experience turning lab-scale outcomes into full-scale engineered solutions.
The staged program includes:
- resin screening
- loading and elution studies
- analytical interpretation
- the development of design criteria to support the client’s internal evaluation of ion-exchange for their flowsheet
This program complements our broader ion-exchange portfolio in critical-minerals processing, where effective impurity removal is becoming increasingly important for project feasibility and downstream performance.
In brief
Clean TeQ Water says it has entered a services agreement with an unnamed critical minerals developer for ion-exchange purification testing. The work is intended to help the client assess possible flowsheet improvements, with attention to impurity management and the potential role of ion exchange compared with solvent extraction. The staged program covers resin screening, loading and elution studies, analysis of results, and preparation of design criteria for the client’s internal assessment. Clean TeQ Water says its laboratory facilities and ion-exchange capabilities informed its selection. The company also describes the project as part of its broader critical-minerals work, drawing on experience in uranium, scandium, lithium and other minerals. It says testing under representative process conditions can help evaluate feed variation and operating constraints.
Key takeaways
- Clean TeQ Water signed a services agreement with an unnamed critical minerals developer.
- The testing will assess ion exchange for purification within the client’s processing flowsheet.
- Work includes resin screening, loading and elution studies, results analysis, and design criteria.
- The company says the program builds on its ion-exchange work across several critical minerals.
Where Ion Exchange Delivers the Greatest Impact in Critical Minerals Flowsheets
In complex critical minerals flowsheets, effective ion exchange depends on getting multiple, interdependent elements right: from resin selection and column architecture to solution chemistry, operating conditions and integration with upstream and downstream process circuits.
In practice, the challenges that limit purification performance are rarely obvious at the outset. Flowsheets that appear robust on paper can become constrained by trace impurities, competing species or subtle changes in feed chemistry that accumulate through recycle streams and upset downstream operations. It is typically these second-order effects – rather than bulk separation efficiency – that determine circuit viability.
When ion exchange is applied with this understanding, it becomes a strategic tool for optimising purification circuits. This is why ion exchange testwork is most valuable when it is designed to evaluate performance under representative process conditions, capturing real feed variability and operational constraints to inform robust, low-risk flowsheet decisions – an approach shaped by Clean TeQ’s ion exchange experience across uranium, scandium, lithium and other critical minerals.
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Questions around this news
What work is included in Clean TeQ Water’s ion-exchange purification program?
The services agreement covers a staged testwork program for a critical-minerals developer. The work includes screening resins, studying loading and elution, interpreting analytical results, and preparing design criteria. Those criteria are intended to support the client’s own assessment of whether ion exchange could be used in its processing flowsheet.
Why might a minerals processor consider ion exchange instead of solvent extraction?
Ion exchange can be used to selectively remove impurities from a process solution. The release describes it as a potential way to provide targeted impurity control and operational simplicity compared with conventional solvent extraction. Which approach is suitable depends on the solution chemistry, process conditions, and how the purification step fits with other parts of the flowsheet.
Why is it important to test ion exchange under representative process conditions?
Testwork using representative conditions can reveal how feed variability, competing dissolved species, and operating constraints affect purification. These factors may influence downstream operations even when bulk separation appears effective. The release says evaluating such effects can help inform flowsheet decisions and assess whether a purification circuit is robust in practical operation.
What does ion exchange do in minerals processing?
Ion exchange separates dissolved ions by passing a solution over a material with charged sites. Ions in the solution can replace ions held on those sites, allowing selected substances to be captured or removed. The material can later be treated to release the captured ions, depending on the process design.
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