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    Mine site rare-earth sensor: process control gains for plant metallurgists

    February 24, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Mine site rare-earth sensor: process control gains for plant metallurgists

    First reported on Australian Mining

    30 Second Briefing

    Adelaide-based quantum technology company QuantX Labs will receive $2.4 million from the Australian Government to build Australia’s first real-time, mine-site rare earths sensor for deployment on processing circuits. The system will use quantum-enabled radio-frequency sensors to measure rare earth concentrations in slurries and ores in situ, rather than relying on off-site assay labs with multi-day turnaround. For plant metallurgists, continuous grade data at the mill or flotation cells could tighten cut-off control, reduce reagent overuse and lift recoveries from complex rare earth deposits.

    Technical Brief

    • Similar quantum RF sensing architectures could later be adapted for base metals or battery mineral circuits.

    Our Take

    Rare earth coverage in our mining database is relatively thin compared with bulk commodities, so an Australia-based sensor project suggests operators are now looking harder at process-side gains rather than just new orebodies.

    Australian Government backing in Adelaide for rare earth–linked technology implies policy support is extending beyond mine approvals into plant-level innovation, which can help local producers compete against lower-cost Chinese refiners without matching their scale.

    For rare earth projects in Australia, on-site sensing that improves recoveries can materially shift marginal deposits into viable territory, especially where environmental approvals constrain the option of simply increasing throughput or tailings volumes.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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