Fully Permitted, Shovel-Ready Project Establishes America’s First Commercially-Advanced Ion-Adsorption Clay System with Critical Technology Metals

Ionic Mineral Technologies (“Ionic MT”) today announced the confirmation of a major, high-grade deposit of rare earth and critical minerals at its fully permitted Silicon Ridge project in Utah (“Silicon Ridge”). The results validate one of North America's most significant holdings of these strategically vital materials, establishing a domestic source for elements essential for advanced AI semiconductor chips, permanent magnets, defense surveillance systems, and energy technologies.

Independent assays from ALS Chemex, confirm the deposit as a halloysite-hosted ion-adsorption clay (IAC) – the same geological formation that supplies approximately 35-40% of China's total rare earth production and over 70% of the world’s heavy rare earth elements.

Critically, Silicon Ridge demonstrates what Ionic MT characterizes as an ‘IAC-Plus’ profile: rare earth concentrations comparable to China’s deposits, but with subsequent hydrothermal, magmatically enriched grades of critical technology metals including gallium, germanium, rubidium, cesium, scandium, lithium, vanadium, tungsten, niobium, and a full suite of light and heavy rare earths (La–Lu, Y).

“This confirmation is a watershed moment for American resource independence. For the first time, we have a domestic, shovel-ready source for a full spectrum of critical minerals, all extractable with a faster, cleaner process than traditional hard rock mining and extraction,” said Andre Zeitoun, founder and CEO of Ionic MT. “With our mining permits and processing facility in place, we can now move rapidly to production, reducing a key strategic vulnerability for the United States.”

The strategic importance of the deposit is underscored by China's December 2024 export ban on gallium, germanium, and antimony to the United States, combined with April 2025 export licensing requirements on critical rare earth elements like, Lutetium, Scandium, Yttrium, globally. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has identified critical material shortfalls exceeding $18.5 billion, with the Pentagon recently moving to secure a $2 billion emergency stockpile of strategic minerals in response to these supply chain vulnerabilities.

Project Highlights & Validation

• Scale & Grade: Initial results from 106 boreholes (over 10,000 meters) and 35 trenches across a 650-acre area show a total rare earth and critical metal grade suite of approximately 2,700 ppm (0.27% combined grade) within the halloysite clay fraction, representing a 4.74x enrichment from the bulk host material. This grade compares favorably to Chinese ion-adsorption clay deposits, which typically range from 500 to 2,000 ppm.
• Exploration Upside: This robust grade has been confirmed across only 11% of the total resource area, and is limited to 100-foot depth, indicating significant potential for expansion.
• Path to Production: The project is located on state-leased lands with active mining permits and is supported by Ionic MT’s existing 74,000-square-foot permitted processing facility in Provo, enabling a rapid timeline to commercial production.

The results are based on an extensive exploration program, with all assays conducted by third-party, ISO-certified ALS Chemex laboratories. Ionic MT has initiated a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), with completion targeted for H1 2026.

Utah Support

Using a low-emission, nearly waste-free process with up to 95% recovery, Ionic MT turns Utah’s geology and infrastructure into a national strategic asset.

“Utah is once again proving we have the greatest resources, vision and determination to power America’s future,” said Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams. "Ionic Mineral Technologies’ work at Silicon Ridge is the prime example of how responsible development creates jobs, strengthens our national security and builds resilient, American-made supply chains. Our state is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to cleaner energy by developing next-generation resources right in our own backyard. By doing so, we reduce reliance on foreign nations and secure America’s energy future.”

“Our energy and national security depend on having a reliable supply of critical minerals – and Utah is uniquely positioned to lead the way,” said Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz. “This project shows what Utah does best: using our natural resources, strong infrastructure, and innovative industry to solve big challenges and embrace big opportunities. Ionic Mineral Technologies is helping us reduce dependence on foreign adversaries while creating new opportunities and long-term stability for Utah families and our economy.”

Background

Ionic MT’s vertically integrated model converts a single halloysite clay feedstock from its Silicon Ridge and Halloysite Hills deposits into three high-value, co-product streams:

1. Critical Metals: Rare earths, gallium, and germanium for defense and technology.
2. IonAL™ High-Purity Alumina: A precursor for aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
3. Ionisil™ Nano-Silicon: A next-generation lithium-ion battery anode material derived from halloysite that delivers 30-40% energy density improvement over conventional graphite anodes. Ionisil™ is currently under qualification with tier-1 battery OEMs—with first commercial qualification targeted for 2027.

This co-product approach captures maximum value, minimizes waste, and creates a cost-competitive, domestic supply chain for materials vital to the U.S. economy and military. Ionic MT’s halloysite-hosted ion-adsorption clays enable simple, low-temperature ion exchange — avoiding costly roasting, high-heat processing, or heavy acids. This delivers a cleaner, faster, and cost efficient pathway to production than traditional hard-rock mining.

Ionic MT is being advised by Dr. Eric H. Christiansen, a foremost expert on the volcanology and geology of the Soldiers Pass and Lake Mountains region in Utah, to interpret the Silicon Ridge discovery and determine its full scope. As a Professor Emeritus at Brigham Young University and a former Scientist-in-Charge of the USGS Volcanic Hazards Program for Utah, he brings 30 years of knowledge of the district's rock units, structures, and geologic evolution.

Investor and Strategic Partner Engagement

Ionic MT has engaged Citigroup, which is serving as the exclusive capital markets adviser to the company.

About Ionic Mineral Technologies:

Ionic Mineral Technologies (Ionic MT) is building America’s next-generation mineral supply hub. From its Silicon Ridge and Halloysite Hills deposits in Utah, the company integrates the extraction of critical minerals with the production of IonAL™ high-purity alumina and Ionisil™ nano-silicon within a single, low-emission process. This establishes a sovereign, shovel-ready supply chain for the materials that power modern technology, defense, and energy. Learn more here.

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