LEADING EDGE MATERIALS ADVANCES MIDSTREAM PROCESSING STRATEGY FOR THE NORRA KÄRR HEAVY RARE EARTH ELEMENTS PROJECT
- Initiative launched to enhance Norra Kärr’s flowsheet with collaboration on new hydrometallurgical research in support of future pilot plant establishment.
- Swedish Government funding secured: two projects involving the company awarded funding through Vinnova, the Swedish Innovation agency, as part of a SEK 70+ million (CAD 10 million) national push to secure Sweden's critical raw materials supply.
- Path to concentrate production: Domain sampling now underway to generate high-grade eudialyte concentrate, the essential feedstock for upcoming hydrometallurgical pilot testing.
- On track to develop the EU’s first heavy rare earth elements mine following the grant of Norra Kärr’s 25-year mining lease in June 2026
Vancouver, July 20,2 026 - Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials" or the "Company") (TSXV: LEM) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (FRA: 7FL) is pleased to provide an update on its midstream processing strategy for eudialyte concentrate from the Norra Kärr Heavy Rare Earth Elements ("HREE") Project – and the path toward pilot-scale hydrometallurgical testing, a key step in demonstrating the process at commercial scale. This builds on the significant flowsheet development work completed over the last 15 years, and new research into silicate management under the Vinnova-funded SHLENK project.
Eudialyte Processing
Eudialyte is recognised globally as one of the most promising mineral sources of heavy rare earth elements, with projects in Greenland and Australia being developed in addition to Norra Kärr in Sweden. With eudialyte, the behaviour of silicates during leaching needs to be managed to prevent gel formation. Two well-known approaches are dilution, reducing silicate concentrations through sufficient dilution during leaching and inhibiting gel formation, and pre-treatment, treating the eudialyte concentrate ahead of leaching to prevent silicate release during dissolution, while preserving rare earth element solubility. Studies have demonstrated that under correctly selected pretreatment conditions for a given source material, silicate leaching can be effectively prevented. The pre-treatment option was used in the Company's 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") and current project development workstreams are focused on performance and cost optimisation, and upscaling studies.
Pilot-Scale Hydrometallurgical Testing
The pre-treatment approach has shown strong results in laboratory-scale testing for Norra Kärr material and an extended pilot is intended to further strengthen hydrometallurgical understanding. To achieve optimal pilot data, a new high-grade eudialyte concentrate will be produced. Over the summer, the Company is conducting a domain sampling programme using the existing drill core library. This will be followed by further mineral processing to produce eudialyte concentrate while also generating valuable nepheline syenite as co-product for customer trials.
Consistent with the design set out in the Company’s 2021 PEA, mineral processing at Norra Kärr will only feature crushing, grinding, and magnetic separation; the eudialyte concentrate would then be transported to a midstream hydrometallurgical facility at a separate, established industrial location – keeping the footprint at Norra Kärr small and placing chemical processing where infrastructure already exists.
New Innovation Research: The SHLENK Project
The pilot work programme will benefit from research into improved processing methods, including through the Company's collaboration with RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) under the SEK 1.5 million (CAD 0.2 million) funded SHLENK project – "Silicate management in leaching of eudialyte from Norra Kärr”.
SHLENK is one of two research projects involving the Company’s wholly owned Swedish subsidiary, Greenna Mineral AB, that have recently been granted funding by the Swedish Government through Vinnova's Impact Innovation call, "Resilient metals and minerals supply for strengthened preparedness," alongside the NordAL (Nordic Alumina) project.
Together with 17 other projects, these initiatives form part of a national effort to strengthen Sweden's metals and minerals supply chain in peacetime, during heightened preparedness, and in times of crisis. The combined programme represents more than SEK 70 million (approximately CAD 10 million) in funding, of which approximately SEK 42 million (CAD 6 million) is provided by Vinnova.
For the Company, this funding represents strong recognition of the strategic importance of its work at Norra Kärr and its contribution to building a more resilient and secure supply chain for critical raw materials in Sweden and the Nordics.
The work is carried out within Swedish Metals & Minerals, a joint initiative by the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas, and Vinnova under the framework of Impact Innovation.
Kurt Budge, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“Following the grant of the 25-year mining lease, our work continues towards developing Norra Kärr, the EU's first heavy rare earth elements mine.
Progressing with our Pre-feasibility Study, we continue to de-risk and enhance the processing flowsheet for Norra Kärr. We have a clear plan: working with the best eudialyte concentrate, verifying our pre-treatment approach to silicate management, and generating the data we need to run at pilot scale.
Heavy rare earths like dysprosium and terbium are foundational to the technologies driving electrification and defence readiness across Europe, and Norra Kärr remains one of the continent's richest deposits. The support from Vinnova is a strong validation of the strategic role Norra Kärr can play in strengthening Sweden's and Europe's resilience in critical raw materials."
About the Norra Kärr Project
Norra Kärr is one of Europe's most significant deposits of heavy rare earth elements, hosted in an eudialyte-bearing alkaline rock body in southern Sweden. The project's strategic value is underpinned by its high dysprosium and terbium ("Dy/Tb") content, critical inputs for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defence applications.
On 28 June 2026, an Exploitation Concession – 25-year mining lease - was granted by the Swedish Government following a formal recommendation from the Mining Inspectorate (Sw. Bergsstaten), which submitted the application to the Government for a final decision after all involved agencies had either endorsed the application or recommended approval.
The strategic importance of heavy rare earth elements to Europe's industrial future has never been more apparent. As China's export controls have demonstrated, access to dysprosium, terbium and yttrium cannot be taken for granted — and the consequences of supply disruption are severe. Norra Kärr, now holding an Exploitation Concession, is key to addressing Europe’s critical risk exposure.
Edison Investment Research
"Leading Edge Materials - Meeting Europe's Rare Earths Challenge", 9 February 2026.
https://www.edisongroup.com/research/meeting-europes-rare-earths-challenge/BM-2766/
Edison estimates current European dysprosium demand at 180-200 tpa of Dy₂O₃. Norra Kärr's 2021 PEA discloses average annual Dy₂O₃ production of 248t, which Edison notes is "similar to European consumption."
“Leading Edge Materials — Addressing the European REE shortage”, 21 April 2026.
https://www.edisongroup.com/research/addressing-the-european-ree-shortage/BM-2909/
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release relating to the Norra Kärr project, including details of forecast dysprosium, terbium and yttrium production, are set out the National Instrument 43-101 technical report entitled "Preliminary Economic Assessment of Norra Kärr Rare Earth Deposit and Potential By-Products, Sweden", with effective date August 18, 2021, and issue date August 19, 2021, prepared for Leading Edge Materials Corp. by SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd. The report is available on the Company's website at www.leadingedgematerials.com and under its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.ca.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release relating to the Norra Kärr project has been reviewed and approved by John Willis of SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd, a Chartered Professional and Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, who is an independent Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101 for REE deposits. SRK Qualified Persons are all independent as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Leading Edge Materials Corp.
Kurt Budge, CEO
For further information, please contact the Company at:
info@leadingedgematerials.com
www.leadingedgematerials.com
Corporate Head Office (Vancouver, Canada): 778-686-5357
About Leading Edge Materials
Leading Edge Materials Corp. is a Canadian-listed company focused on developing critical raw material assets across the European Union. Its primary focus is the wholly owned Norra Kärr Heavy Rare Earth Element project in Sweden — one of the world's most strategically significant heavy rare earth deposits and among the few advanced-stage projects within the EU capable of producing dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium at meaningful scale.
Situated in one of the globe's most politically and regulatory stable mining environments, Norra Kärr is well-positioned to contribute directly to the objectives of the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act, including the bloc's target of sourcing 10% of its critical raw material consumption domestically by 2030. Beyond rare earths, the Company also holds the Woxna Graphite mine in Sweden — a fully constructed and permitted facility — as well as a 90% stake in the Bihor Sud Nickel-Cobalt exploration alliance in Romania.
Additional Information
The information was submitted for publication through the agency of the contact person set out above, on July 20, 2026, at 23:30 Vancouver time.
Leading Edge Materials is listed on the TSXV under the symbol “LEM”, OTCQB under the symbol “LEMIF” and Nasdaq First North Stockholm under the symbol “LEMSE”. Svensk Kapitalmarknadsgranskning (“SKMG”) is the Company’s Certified Adviser for the Nasdaq First North Growth Market (Stockholm) and may be contacted via email ca@skmg.se or by phone +46 (0)8 913 008.
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