Under the contract, KBR will construct the plant as part of Molycorp’s $781m project Phoenix expansion and modernization at its flagship rare earth facility at Mountain Pass.
The Chlor-Alkali plant will allow Molycorp to recycle virtually all of the water used in the chemical separation of individual rare earth elements at Mountain Pass.
The Chlor-Alkali process will recycle the chemical reagents needed in rare earth oxide manufacture, and the production will commence next year.
US-based rare earth oxide producer Molycorp currently is expected to produce a total of between 4,541 to 5,813 metric tons of commercial rare earth materials in this year from its three facilities.
KBR is a global engineering, construction and services company supporting the energy, hydrocarbon, government services, minerals, civil infrastructure, power, industrial, and commercial markets.
