New research facilities for critical minerals: flowsheet de‑risking for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on Australian Mining
30 Second Briefing
Australia’s drive to expand onshore critical minerals processing has advanced with the opening of new research facilities focused on refining battery and magnet metals such as lithium, rare earths and cobalt. The centres are equipped for pilot‑scale hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical testwork, including leaching, solvent extraction and high‑temperature roasting, to bridge the gap between bench chemistry and commercial plants. For process and project engineers, the facilities offer local options to de‑risk flowsheet design, validate recoveries on Australian ores and generate data for bankable feasibility studies.
Technical Brief
- Pilot plants are configured for continuous operation, enabling steady‑state mass balance and residence time optimisation.
- Hydrometallurgical circuits reportedly include multi‑stage counter‑current solvent extraction banks and pressure leach autoclaves.
- Pyrometallurgical equipment includes bench and pilot rotary kilns and high‑temperature tube furnaces for roasting tests.
- Research workflows combine mineralogical characterisation, bench chemistry, locked‑cycle tests and pilot campaigns to generate scale‑up data.
- Data outputs are intended for inclusion in prefeasibility and feasibility‑level process design criteria and equipment sizing.
- Scope is limited to processing testwork and does not extend to mine planning, tailings storage design or downstream cell manufacturing.
- For other critical mineral hubs, the model illustrates how colocated pilot hydromet and pyromet facilities can shorten development timelines.
Our Take
CSIRO’s recent work on mining technology for lunar missions, also covered by Australian Mining, suggests that some of the automation and remote-operations know‑how being developed in Australia could be repurposed to pilot‑scale critical minerals processing plants in remote regions.
For Australian contractors highlighted in our 6 May 2026 piece on expanding EPC-style packages, a stronger domestic research base in critical minerals processing could translate into more design-and-build opportunities for demonstration plants and downstream hubs rather than only mine services work.
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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