Critica Limited reports positive metallurgical testwork from the Jupiter project in Western Australia, delivering a refinery-ready mixed rare earth carbonate with high quality and recoveries.

The Jupiter project has achieved its first high-quality mixed rare earth carbonate through testwork, marking a major step toward a commercial product.

Key magnet elements NdPr, dysprosium and terbium are upgraded using a conventional sulphuric acid bake, enabling a refinery-ready carbonate with about 58% TREO and roughly 80% TREO recovery.

Jupiter’s near-surface, flat-lying geology and soft clay deposits reduce mining costs and enable a 'beneficiate-first' strategy, upgrading ore six to ten times early in the processing flow.

Initial metallurgical testing shows in-situ material can be upgraded by about 830% through a two-stage process to concentrates up to 13,310 ppm TREO (1.33%).

ANSTO’s testwork reports low nuisance uranium and thorium, aiding permitting and environmental processes, with improved iron and phosphorus rejection for better recoveries.

Critica plans further drilling and a scoping study, targeting completion by the end of June pending metallurgical results to grow the resource and refine mine planning.

Jupiter is Australia’s largest clay-hosted rare earths resource, totaling 1.8 billion tonnes at 1700 ppm TREO, rich in magnet reagents and containing 39 ppm gallium.

Producing both a mixed rare earth carbonate and oxide demonstrates a credible commercial pathway beyond laboratory validation, helping define product specs for refineries and offtake partners.

Jupiter moves toward a development-ready project as magnet-rich REEs demand rises, leveraging scale, simplicity, and supply-chain relevance.

ANSTO confirms the carbonate delivers 58% TREO with about 80% recovery in a single pass, with potential to reach up to 89% TREO through a second process to MREC.

The mixed rare earth carbonate is a widely traded intermediate; Jupiter’s product compares favorably with other Australian clay/ionic clay projects.