London-listed Arkadian Strategic Metals reported on 4 November 2026 that a preliminary flotation test at its majority-owned Motzfeldt project in southern Greenland produced a concentrate grading 13.37% total rare-earth oxides (TREO). The result came from material at the Aries deposit, where the company is testing ways to separate valuable minerals from host rock.
The best test increased TREO from approximately 0.65% in the feed material to 13.37% in the concentrate, an enrichment factor of around 20. Rare-earth recovery was 20.3% in the single-stage, unoptimised test, so further processing improvements are needed before a commercially viable recovery route can be established.
Aries hosts a JORC-compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of 340 million tonnes containing rare earths and other critical metals. Arkadian’s first-phase metallurgical programme evaluated flotation, gravity separation, magnetic separation and mineralogical characteristics.
Tests examine gravity separation and grinding
Gravity separation of a finer particle fraction produced a concentrate grading 2.24% TREO and 12.2% zirconium oxide. Recoveries within that tested fraction were 39.9% for TREO and 59.1% for zirconium oxide, according to the results.
Those recovery figures apply only to the tested particle-size fraction and do not represent performance across the full deposit or a complete processing circuit. The results indicate that conventional concentration methods could contribute to a future process combining rare-earth and zirconium recovery.
Mineralogical analysis identified finer grinding as a potential way to improve the release of valuable minerals from surrounding rock. Arkadian plans a second-phase programme combining finer grinding, gravity concentration and additional flotation stages.
The next phase will also assess recovery of niobium and tantalum, extending the potential product range beyond rare earths and zirconium. Testing will examine the relationship between concentrate grade and mineral recovery, including the possible use of additional separation stages.
Commercial recovery remains unproven
Motzfeldt is part of Greenland’s developing critical-minerals sector, which has drawn attention from European and international investors seeking alternatives to concentrated global rare-earth supply chains. Rare earths are used in permanent magnets, electrical equipment and advanced industrial technologies; zirconium, niobium and tantalum are used in specialist alloys, electronics and high-performance manufacturing.
The project’s relevance to European supply depends on whether its mineral resources can be converted into economically recoverable concentrates suitable for further refining. The initial results demonstrate mineral separation, but do not establish commercial processing recoveries, final concentrate specifications or the economics of a full-scale operation.
Arkadian said the initial work used a single selected bulk sample, so the results cannot yet be considered representative of the entire Aries resource. Improved recovery rates remain essential to assessing whether the resource can support a competitive critical-minerals supply operation.
Motzfeldt’s immediate development priority is metallurgical validation rather than mine construction. Engineering, environmental assessments, permitting and financing would be required before a mine or processing facility could move towards construction; Arkadian has not announced a final investment decision, commercial processing capacity or production timetable.
