Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
6 min of reading 
0 comments 
ADL Mining Project targets a strategic stage of the rare earth supply chain, amid global demand for minerals used in electric motors, turbines, aerospace equipment, and defense, with plans for export and industrial installation in Brazil.
ADL Mining began exporting monazite in 2026 and intends to advance to other stages of the rare earth supply chain in Brazil, including processing, separation, and adding value to the ore used in electric motors, wind turbines, aerospace equipment, and defense systems.
For this phase, the company projects an investment of US$ 600 million, about R$ 3 billion, in a plant with a planned capacity to process 20 thousand tons of heavy ore per month.
The operation is led by Adelina Lee, president of ADL and one of the company’s shareholders, who works in the production of heavy minerals such as monazite, ilmenite, rutile, and zircon.
-
Commerce will be suspended on the days of the national team’s matches during the World Cup, and public servants will be released hours before the games.
-
The rise in debt among Brazilian families – from 80.9% to 81.6% of the total contingent – from April to May, marking the fifth consecutive increase and the highest level in 11 years, is expected to continue on an upward trajectory with no forecast of a setback, reaching 82% by next December.
-
Senate approves explosive measures that could cost R$ 263.7 billion and include rural refinancing, a minimum wage of R$ 13,662 for doctors and dentists, and special retirement for health agents.
-
Residents are forced every day to pay R$ 24 in tolls and descend 16 km down a mountain to get home because all the turnarounds near the neighborhood have been blocked, and the nearest one is only down in Morretes.
Brazilian of South Korean origin, Lee has been leading the mining company for two years and entered the sector after a career in commercial operations between Brazil, South Korea, China, and the United States.
The main operational hub mentioned by the company is located in Buena, a district of São Francisco de Itabapoana, on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro.
In 2024, the Brazilian Nuclear Industries signed a 30-year onerous use agreement with ADL for the Decommissioning Unit in Buena.
Before the agreement, the unit was already engaged in the separation and commercialization of ilmenite, zircon, rutile, and monazite, minerals found in the so-called monazite sands.
Under the agreement, ADL took over the operation of the beneficiation plant and associated areas to process minerals extracted from deposits under its ownership.
In return, INB began receiving a fixed monthly share and royalties on production, according to information released by the state company.
Monazite gains relevance in the rare earth supply chain
Monazite is one of the sources of rare earth elements, a group of 17 chemical elements used in permanent magnets, motors, satellites, turbines, electronics, and medical applications.
According to ADL’s technical consultant, Gilberto de Campos, one ton of the ore can contain about 700 kilograms of rare earth elements, although industrial utilization depends on separation and refining stages.
Campos worked at Orquima, a pioneering company in rare earth processing in the country, later renamed Nuclemon, and also at the former Nuclebrás, restructured as Brazilian Nuclear Industries.
In the evaluation of companies and governments seeking new sources of supply, monazite has regained attention because countries are trying to reduce dependence on China in the rare earths supply chain.
The Brazilian challenge involves not only the availability of the mineral but also the ability to transform this resource into purified oxides, alloys, and permanent magnets.
These stages concentrate higher added value and require specific industrial technology, an area where China maintains a significant position in the global market.
The Geological Survey of Brazil reports that the country has about 21 million tons in rare earth reserves, a volume equivalent to approximately 23% of global reserves according to USGS data.
Even with this mineral potential, Brazilian production in 2024 was only 20 tons, a volume less than 1% of world production.
However, there is a difference between international estimates and revised numbers in Brazil, which requires caution when comparing databases.
The National Mining Agency reduced the Brazilian estimate to 11.4 million tons of total equivalent rare earth oxides, but the country would remain in second place in the global ranking, with a 15% share, according to an analysis by Brasil Mineral based on data from ANM and USGS.
Export to Canada Opens New Commercial Phase
In April 2026, ADL carried out the first private export of monazite in decades, sending a shipment to Canada.
The operation is part of an agreement with a foreign company that possesses technology aimed at processing rare earths, in an initial phase of commercial resumption of the mineral.
The mining company’s goal is to export between 500 and 1,000 tons of monazite this year and reach 3,000 tons in two years.
Lee states that the immediate priority is to increase the product’s purity, currently above 92%, to 98%, with the installation of additional equipment.
“At this moment, our focus begins with the resumption of monazite exports and improvement of its purity with the installation of additional equipment to reach 98%. We are already above 92%,” said Adelina Lee, in an interview with Estadão.
Besides the operation in Rio de Janeiro, the company maintains activities in the south of Bahia, in the regions of Alcobaça and Belmonte, where it has research and mining concessions for heavy minerals.
According to ADL, the areas total 29 thousand hectares linked to licenses and research, in addition to 200 direct and 400 indirect jobs generated by the operation.
Plan Foresees Concentration and Separation in Brazil
ADL’s first industrial project aims to produce rare earth chloride, a concentrate that gathers different elements before the individual separation stage.
The estimated investment is US$ 70 million, about R$ 350 million, and the company’s forecast is to reach this phase by the end of 2027, subject to capital availability.
Lee states that the company already has the technology for this stage but acknowledges that the entry of investors can accelerate execution.
“We already have the technology within ADL. What can accelerate this process is capital, but with our own resources, it may take three years,” he declared.
The larger-scale project, estimated at US$ 600 million, aims to install a rare earth element separation unit in Brazil.
The plant would have the capacity to process 20 thousand tons of heavy ore per month, using robotics and artificial intelligence in the process, according to the executive.
ADL reports that it is in talks with investors from the United States, China, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and Japan.
The company also claims to have memorandums of understanding with a foreign company for technology transfer but did not disclose the partner’s name or contractual details.
“Our goal is to have this project here in Brazil, where we have the ore, with technology in the development phase. To create a productive chain in the country,” said Lee.
Nuclear control monitors monazite production
The exploration of monazite requires specific control because the ore is often associated with thorium and uranium.
These materials must be separated and monitored by the National Nuclear Energy Commission, which makes the chain subject to its own regulatory rules.
In the case of ADL’s monazite, Campos states that the uranium content is low, at 0.3%, while thorium reaches 6%.
The company reports that all existing stock in the country remains stored under the control of INB, responsible for managing the associated nuclear materials.
Currently, ADL’s revenue mainly comes from the domestic market sale of heavy minerals used in pigments, paints, coatings, plastics, cosmetics, ceramics, glass, refractory materials, foundry, health, and dentistry.
Monazite, in turn, is destined for export, according to the commercial strategy reported by the company.
For ADL, advancing to higher-value industrial stages can reduce dependence on external buyers of raw ore.
The development of this chain in Brazil, however, depends on technology, production scale, financing, and regulatory control over materials associated with monazite.
Be the first to react!