Everest ticks off extraction study to start Aussie rubidium industry

West Australian

2 days ago

Everest Metals and Edith Cowan University (ECU) have achieved 97 per cent rubidium extraction in a joint engineering scoping study for Everest's Mt Edon project in Western Australia.
The study is a key step in Everest's plans to pioneer a new rubidium industry in Australia.
Everest plans to inject Australia onto the world rubidium stage by unlocking the nation's entry into a new and valuable critical mineral processing industry.
The engineering study was completed at ECU's Mineral Recovery Research Centre, which Everest asked to help develop an innovative rubidium extraction process.
The direct extraction process aims to extract the critical mineral in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner from ore mined at the company's Mt Edon critical mineral project in WA's Mid West region.
Demand for the rare mineral used in high-tech industries, such as defence, aerospace and communications, is expected to lift significantly. Research by global market research company Market Research Future projects global market usage to grow from US$4.46 billion (A$6.91B) in 2023 to US$7.2B by 2032 using a compound annual growth rate of 5.48 per cent.
The study achieved exceptional results from phase three beneficiation and leaching testwork, which produced the outstanding 97 per cent recovery rate for rubidium oxide from Mt Edon's primary ore.
Everest has elected to lock in a standard patent to protect its new-age technology, having realised the effectiveness of its extraction process. It jumped on a provisional patent for the process earlier this year.
The company says the results confirm the project's potential commercial and technical viability, based on its plans for a processing plant capable of producing 750-1000 tonnes per annum rubidium chloride. Further studies are required to nail down an optimised process.
Management believes the project can prosper from broad geopolitical initiatives, such as United States President Donald Trump's April executive order calling for an investigation into the national security risks associated with its dependence on imported processed critical minerals.
The executive order outlines an urgent need to develop transparent, secure and US-aligned supply chains for required critical minerals. Rubidium has many high-technology applications and is listed as one of 35 critical minerals by several countries, including the US and Japan.
Everest sees the current price of rubidium carbonate, near US$1170 per kilogram, as providing the project with strong potential to develop into a profitable operation. Downstream applications are fuelling rapid growth with an increase in demand for rubidium salts.
With the engineering study complete, Everest has work underway to increase the efficiency of its extraction technology and reduce costs.
During testwork, data from samples indicated the beneficiation process enhanced rubidium liberation and therefore its availability for downstream extraction, removing gangue minerals. Beneficiation led to higher leaching efficiency and improved outcomes, resulting in the 97 per cent recovery levels.
The innovative extraction method is part of a process involving mining, beneficiation to concentrate the rubidium-bearing minerals, followed by roasting-leaching-crystallisation to produce rubidium chloride.
Further analysis is required to evaluate the technical and economic risks for scalability and operational stability. The company plans to run additional bench-scale and pilot-scale testwork to validate its process before building a full-scale plant.
Everest has an agreement with the CSIRO to enhance its understanding of rubidium, caesium and lithium mineralogy. The increased knowledge of the critical minerals is expected to improve the company's processing methods and overall recovery rates.
Everest applied to the Minerals Research Institute of WA for funding under its METS Innovation program. The application sought matched funding to support upcoming metallurgical and purification testwork. The company expects to receive word on its application this month.
It is also exploring grant funding opportunities and potential future funding options through domestic and international critical mineral initiatives to help scale up to a pilot plant next year.
Mt Edon is 420 kilometres northeast of Perth and 5km southwest of the State's former gold rush settlement of Paynes Find. The project has an inferred mineral resource of 3.6 million tonnes grading 0.22 per cent rubidium oxide and 0.07 per cent lithium oxide.
Management says the resource contains a world-class component of 1.3Mt at 0.33 per cent rubidium oxide and 0.07 per cent lithium oxide. The high-grade zone contains 56 per cent of the total contained rubidium tonnes at Mt Edon, which has 7900t of the rare critical mineral.
Everest says its initial resource is based on drilling along 400 metres of strike within a 1.2km-long pegmatite corridor on a 192.4-hectare granted mining lease. Drilling was conducted to a vertical depth of 140m below surface, with 61 reverse circulation drill holes plunged in over 2779m to determine the estimated resource.
Everest holds a 51 per cent stake in Mt Edon with the potential to take over the entire operation in a joint venture farm-in agreement with private company Entelechy Resources.
The company is aiming big: It is looking to develop a fledgling industry locally, supply a growing market globally, and support the nation's defence needs with a reliable rubidium supply.
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