Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited (GMDC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for an indigenous rare earth processing technology. This technology, developed by BARC, is designed to produce Mixed Rare Earth Concentrate (MREC) from the Ambadungar hard-rock ankeritic ore. The technology transfer ceremony took place at the BARC Campus in Trombay, attended by officials from both organizations. This indigenous process, titled “Process for the Recovery of Rare Earth Values from Ankeritic Ore Body of Ambadungar, Gujarat, India (CH48MinD)”, offers GMDC a viable method to overcome ore-specific technical challenges and establish a foundation for pilot-scale validation. GMDC plans to initially implement this technology at a pilot scale, with ongoing technical support from BARC. This phase will focus on process validation, recovery optimization, and environmental performance assessment before proceeding to further stages. The company also intends to utilize its promoted institution, the International Center of Excellence in Mining Safety and Automation (iCEM), Ahmedabad, for pilot-scale and analytical testing to optimize timelines and enhance institutional capabilities. Shri Roopwant Singh, IAS, Managing Director, GMDC, stated that this milestone is crucial for GMDC's rare earths journey, strengthening their ability to develop the Ambadungar REE Project systematically and responsibly. He emphasized the goal of building an end-to-end, future-ready rare earths value chain aligned with India’s critical mineral strategy and the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
