Critica to scale rare earths beneficiation with new pilot plant

Critica is validating its process of concentrating rare earths at scale, with the Hanoi-based Centre for Science and Technology of Mineral and Environment (GAVAQ) tasked with building, designing and operating a closed-circuit pilot-scale beneficiation plant for Critica’s Jupiter rare earths project in Western Australia.

The pilot plant will process a 3000kg bulk sample of run-of-mine material from the project 250km east of Geraldton with the goal to produce a high-grade rare earth intermediate concentrate to support downstream testing and a scoping study.

The hope is the pilot will validate bench-scale results of around 95 per cent mass rejection and more than 800 per cent grade uplift – enabling a smaller leach plant, lower reagent intensity and improved capex/opex efficiency.

The scope will provide key data on tailings characteristics, process efficiency and flowsheet economics, the announcement states.

The Jupiter project is being advanced through two parallel de-risking streams – “geology” and “metallurgy”.

The former relates to optimising resources, infill drilling and block modelling of magnet rare earths zones, while metallurgy looks at creating a beneficiation-first route which can be scaled through their collaboration with GAVAQ.

Commenting on the news, Critica’s chief executive officer Jacob Deysel noted the pilot is a key step on the company’s ‘Scale, Simplicity, Speed’ roadmap.

“By upgrading before leaching, we reject about 95 per cent of mass and lift grades more than eight-fold ahead of hydrometallurgy,” he said. “That translates to a smaller leach lant, lower reagent use and a cleaner, faster path to MREC.”

“The pilot will deliver bulk concentrate for ANSTO and Minutech and the decision-grade data to underpin out scoping study and offtake discussions.”

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