Morella’s Mt Edon Project Hits 89% Rubidium Extraction Efficiency

• ECU testwork achieves up to 89% rubidium extraction under roast-leach conditions
• Next phase to include variability testing across multiple pegmatite samples
• Joint venture with Elevra Lithium covers key Mt Edon tenements
• Process optimisation aims to reduce reagent costs and improve economics
• Scoping economic assessment planned to evaluate commercial viability

Strong Technical Validation for Rubidium Extraction

Morella Corporation Limited (ASX, 1MC) has announced promising results from hydrometallurgical testwork conducted by Edith Cowan University (ECU) on samples from its Mt Edon Project in Western Australia. The testing demonstrated rubidium extraction efficiencies reaching nearly 90% under optimised roast-leach conditions, a significant milestone for this rare metal’s recovery from pegmatite mineralisation.

Rubidium, a critical mineral with applications ranging from specialty glass to emerging energy storage technologies, is scarce globally. Morella’s Mt Edon Project, located near Paynes Find in the Mid-West region, hosts high-grade rubidium mineralisation primarily within microcline feldspar zones. The recent testwork confirms that this rubidium can be effectively liberated using a salt blend in a controlled roasting and leaching process.

Advancing Process Optimisation and Economic Assessment

Following these encouraging initial results, Morella plans to expand the testwork to cover variability and representivity across multiple pegmatite zones. This approach aims to ensure consistent extraction performance and to understand how mineralogical differences influence recovery rates. Locked-cycle tests will simulate continuous processing to evaluate reagent consumption and process stability, while downstream recovery trials will focus on producing rubidium-rich intermediate products.

Importantly, the company is also exploring beneficiation techniques such as optical or density separation to reduce ore feed volumes, which could enhance processing efficiency and lower costs. These efforts will feed into a scoping-level economic assessment incorporating mass-balance data and reagent costs to outline potential processing pathways and capital requirements.

Strategic Positioning in Critical Minerals

Mt Edon is a cornerstone asset within Morella’s broader critical minerals portfolio, which includes lithium and battery metals. The project’s joint venture structure with Elevra Lithium Limited, where Morella holds a 51% interest in pegmatite mineral rights on two of the three tenements, provides a collaborative framework for advancing development. Previous drilling has returned rubidium grades up to 0.59% Rb₂O, underscoring the deposit’s quality.

Morella’s Managing Director, James Brown, emphasised the significance of the testwork results, noting they provide a robust technical foundation for advancing Mt Edon towards commercialisation. The company’s ongoing collaboration with ECU’s process engineering team aims to align metallurgical developments with scale-up requirements and market specifications.

Looking Ahead

With global rubidium supply limited and demand growing in strategic sectors, Morella’s progress at Mt Edon positions it well to capitalise on this niche but critical market. The next phases of testwork and economic evaluation will be crucial in determining the project’s viability and potential contribution to the clean energy transition supply chain.

Bottom Line?

Morella’s Mt Edon rubidium testwork breakthrough sets the stage for critical next steps in process scale-up and economic validation.

Questions in the middle?

• How will variability in pegmatite mineralogy affect rubidium recovery at scale?
• What are the projected capital and operating costs from the upcoming scoping study?
• How might beneficiation techniques impact overall project economics and feed volumes?