Critica Boosts Jupiter Rare Earth Recovery to 81% Magnet REO in Pilot Optimisation

Pilot Plant Breakthrough Enhances Rare Earth Recovery

Critica Limited (ASX:CRI) has reported a marked improvement in its pilot plant beneficiation performance at the Jupiter Rare Earth Project, delivering approximately 81% recovery of magnet rare earth oxides (MagREO) and about 71% recovery of total rare earth oxides (TREO). This represents a roughly 45% uplift in TREO recovery compared to earlier results, underscoring a significant optimisation step in processing the project’s clay-hosted rare earth mineralisation.

From a representative feed grade of 2,137 ppm TREO, the pilot plant achieved a 7.5-fold upgrade to intermediate concentrate, while rejecting around 90% of mass. The strong recovery of critical elements such as neodymium and praseodymium, which are essential for permanent magnets in electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies, provides a solid technical foundation for the project’s development assumptions.

Scaling Up and Expanding Metallurgical Pathways

Following the Lunar New Year pause, Critica has relocated its pilot plant operations to a larger facility in Hai Phong, Vietnam, enabling expanded throughput and further optimisation of cell configurations and operating conditions. An additional 8.5 tonnes of representative Jupiter mineralisation is en route to the facility, with another 10–20 tonnes expected shortly, aimed at producing intermediate concentrate for downstream mixed rare earth product (MREP) qualification and offtake discussions.

Parallel metallurgical test programs are advancing, including acid bake process optimisation at ANSTO and AMML (Minutech), alternative leaching approaches at Phenikaa University, and heap leach evaluation of intermediate concentrate. These efforts aim to refine processing pathways and support the upcoming scoping study, which remains on track.

Critica’s CEO Jacob Deysel highlighted that the pilot beneficiation circuit’s improved performance validates the expected recoveries to intermediate concentrate, boosting confidence in the scalability and economic assumptions underpinning the Jupiter project. This progress builds on the company’s recent milestone of producing its first commercial-grade mixed rare earth carbonate, which achieved approximately 80% rare earth recovery and set a precedent for hydrometallurgical processing at Jupiter first commercial-grade product.

Next Steps Toward Resource Validation and Scoping Study Completion

Looking ahead, Critica is awaiting final drill-hole results to complete validation and mineral resource modelling. The company will continue pilot plant optimisation and scale-up, produce intermediate concentrate for product qualification, and advance alternative metallurgical testwork. The integration of these technical developments will feed into the finalisation of the Jupiter Scoping Study, which aims to define the project’s economic and operational parameters.

With rare earths increasingly critical for clean energy and defence technologies, the Jupiter project’s improved beneficiation performance and advancing downstream processing could position Critica as a key supplier in a strategically important market.