Critica has dispatched the first composite concentrate from its flagship Jupiter Project in WA to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Sydney for independent leach testwork.
The composite will be used to produce a mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC).
“Jupiter already demonstrates a clear scale advantage over peer deposits and with beneficiation delivering an 800 per cent upgrade and 95 per cent mass reduction through simple physical processes, which points to a materially smaller wet plant and lower capital and operating intensity,” Critica chief executive officer Jacob Deysel said.
The programs will determine the chemistry and operating conditions that feed into pilot-scale work and staged economic studies.
Jupiter mineralisation can be upgraded by more than 800 per cent through two physical beneficiation steps, while rejecting around 95 per cent of the mass.
“Critica is sharply focused on the four critical magnet rare earths, which underpin the global energy transition,” Deysel said. “From mine to magnet, our staged plan is designed to deliver scale, efficiency and strategic relevance.
“With infrastructure advantages and extensive additional targets across our tenure, Jupiter is shaping as a cornerstone of Australia’s rare earth supply chain.”
This concentrate will undergo leach testing to produce an MREC product, with the results providing essential data to guide the upcoming scoping study and subsequent pre-feasibility and definitive feasibility stages.
The Jupiter Project currently hosts Australia’s largest and highest-grade clay-hosted mixed rare earth oxide (MREO) inferred resource, standing at 640 million tonnes at 490ppm MREO.
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