Baogang Group Begins Furnace Commissioning for $58 Million Bayan Obo Mineral Recovery Project

Highlights

• Baogang Group has started heating a specialized furnace at its Bayan Obo complex in Inner Mongolia as part of a ¥411.7 million ($58M) mineral recovery project.
• The technology combines pre-concentration, hydrogen-based mineral phase conversion, and magnetic separation to process medium and low-grade oxidized ore previously too difficult to treat.
• Trial production is targeted for December 2026, pending integrated testing following furnace cooling and inspection.
• The project illustrates China's strategy of extracting value from stockpiled and difficult ores rather than relying solely on new mining investment.
• Commercial recovery rates and additional rare earth output have not yet been confirmed by Baogang, making independent verification of outcomes essential.