New filings strengthen U.S. supply chain for germanium, antimony, terbium, gallium, gadolinium, yttrium and advanced heavy rare earth separation technologies
Aligning Technology with High-Demand Markets and Immediate Commercial Opportunities
Patents developed using advanced software capabilities - including machine learning - and supported in partnership with Royalty Management Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:RMCO)
FISHERS, IN / ACCESS Newswire / December 10, 2025 / American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC) ("American Resources" or the "Company") through its minority holding in ReElement Technologies Corporation ("ReElement"), a leading U.S. innovator in rare earth element (REE) and critical mineral refining for the commercial and defense industry, today announced that ReElement has filed five new patent applications that significantly expand its intellectual property portfolio. These filings advance ReElement's position as a leader in clean, modular, and scalable high-purity refining of critical minerals and rare earth elements.
The new patents strengthen the United States' domestic capability to refine antimony, germanium, terbium, gallium, gadolinium, yttrium, and associated heavy rare earth oxides - materials essential to advanced manufacturing, electrification, and national security.
"This milestone underscores how we are building the most versatile and efficient critical mineral refining platform in the world," said Mark Jensen, CEO of ReElement Technologies. "These filings reflect our commitment to reshoring the highest-purity refining of rare earths and critical minerals back to the United States in a manner that is scalable, environmentally responsible, and globally deployable. Our platform enables breakthrough efficiency, lower costs, and the flexibility to co-locate refining directly with mining or concentration operations - an unprecedented advantage for both domestic and allied-nation supply chains."
Advancing ReElement's Leadership in Global Critical Mineral Refining
The patent applications were developed using ReElement's enhanced software capabilities, which build upon the Company's foundational work in advanced separation methods and its proprietary chromatographic refining processes. These tools and expanded IP enable rapid optimization of material separation and higher-efficiency purification tailored to strategic materials. The patent expansion was supported through coordination and non-dilutive financial support by Royalty Management Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:RMCO), which will receive a royalty interest on refined output produced under the patented processes.
The newly filed patents include proprietary and innovative processes for refining high-priority strategic materials to exceptionally high purities:
Antimony: refining to antimony trisulfide or trioxide at 99.7%+ purity
Gadolinium: refining on a separated basis to 99.9% - 99.999% purity
Gallium: refining on a separated basis to 99.5% - 99.999% purity
Germanium: refining on a separated basis to 99.9% - 99.999% purity
Terbium: refining on a separated basis to 99.5% - 99.999% purity
Yttrium: refining on a separated basis to 99.9% - 99.999% purity
These innovations further expand ReElement's proprietary chromatographic separation platform - an environmentally responsible, low-cost, compact, and highly versatile alternative to legacy solvent extraction refineries.
Strategic Importance of These Elements
Germanium - Essential for infrared optics, night-vision systems, satellite sensors, and high-speed electronics. Defense applications often require 5N (99.999%) purity. China currently dominates global processing - elevating the importance of U.S.-based refining.
Yttrium and Gadolinium -Yttrium is critical to laser systems, jet-engine alloys, missile guidance components, and high-temperature ceramics. Gadolinium plays a key role in advanced sensors, neutron detection systems, and specialty alloys. Both materials support cutting-edge defense technologies, require exceptionally high purity and have constrained global refining capacity.
Antimony - Antimony - particularly antimony trisulfide - is a designated defense-critical material used in munitions, primers, flares, and explosives. It is also used in semiconductors, flame retardants, and specialized alloys. The U.S. is almost entirely dependent on foreign nations for its supply, making domestic refining capacity strategically vital.
Terbium and Gallium - Terbium is essential for high-performance permanent magnet alloys used in precision-guided weapons, missile actuators, and advanced electric motors. Gallium is fundamental to GaN (gallium nitride) power electronics, radar systems, secure communications, and high-frequency military semiconductors. Both elements are considered "single point of failure" materials for the U.S. defense supply chain due to limited global processing capacity.
A New Model for Domestic and Allied-Nation Refining Capacity
ReElement's refining platform can be sited quickly, occupies a fraction of the footprint of traditional refineries, and achieves ultra-high-purity outputs with dramatically reduced environmental impact. This enables:
• rapid deployment for domestic or allied-nation supply chains
• co-location with mining or concentration assets
• reduced capital and operating costs
• cleaner, solvent-free processing compatible with U.S. environmental standards
About ReElement Technologies Corporation
ReElement Technologies Corporation, a portfolio company of American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC), is a leading provider of high-performance refining capacity for rare earth and critical battery elements. Its multi-mineral, multi-feedstock platform technology focuses on the refining of recycled material from rare earth permanent magnets and lithium-ion batteries, concentrated ores and brines, as well as coal-based waste streams and byproducts to create a cost effective and environmentally-safe, circular supply chain. ReElement has developed its innovative and scalable "Powered by ReElement" process which collaboratively utilizes its exclusively licensed intellectual property within its partners' material processing flow sheets to more efficiently support the global supply chain's growing demand for magnet and battery-grade products. For more information visit reelementtech.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC)
American Resources Corporation is a leader in the critical mineral supply chain, developing innovative solutions both upstream and downstream of the refining process. The company and its affiliates focus on the extraction and processing of metallurgical carbon and iron ore, essential ingredients in steelmaking, as well as critical and rare earth minerals for the electrification market and recycled metals.
Leveraging its affiliation and former parent status of ReElement Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of high-performance refining capacity for rare earth and critical battery elements, American Resources is investing in and developing efficient upstream and downstream critical mineral operations. These operations include mining interests in conventional and unconventional sources, recycling, and manufacturing.
American Resources has established a nimble, low-cost business model centered on growth, which provides a significant opportunity to scale its portfolio of assets to meet the growing global infrastructure and electrification markets while also continuing to acquire operations and significantly reduce their legacy industry risks. Its streamlined and efficient operations are able to maximize margins while reducing costs. For more information visit americanresourcescorp.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About Royalty Management Holding Corporation
Royalty Management Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:RMCO) is a royalty company building shareholder value to benefit both its shareholders and communities by acquiring and developing high value assets in a variety of market environments. The model is to acquire and structure cashflow streams around assets that can support the communities by monetizing the current existing cash flow streams while identifying transitionary cash flow from the assets for the future. For more information visit www.royaltymgmtcorp.com.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements or industry results to differ materially from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond American Resources Corporation's control. The words "believes", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "continue", "seeks", "anticipates", "plans", "expects", "intends", "estimates", or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Any forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. The Company cannot assure you that the projected results or events will be achieved.
Investor Contact:
JTC Team, LLC
Jenene Thomas
(908) 824 - 0775
arec@jtcir.com
Media Inquiries:
Marjorie Weisskohl
703-587-1532
mweisskohl@allseasonspr.com
Company Contact:
Mark LaVerghetta
317-855-9926 ext. 0
investor@americanresourcescorp.com
SOURCE: American Resources Corporation
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/reelement-technologies-expands-critical-and-rare-earth-element-intellectual-prope-1116187