Viridis Mining plugs into Brazilian mine-to-magnet supply chain

Viridis Mining and Minerals’ representatives delivering refined mixed rare earth carbonate from its Colossus rare earths research and processing Centre to senior representatives of MagBras and CIT SENAI ITR in Lagoa Santa. Credit: File

Viridis Mining and Minerals (ASX: VMM) has taken a significant step in its strategy to build an integrated rare earths supply chain in Brazil, delivering a first batch of refined mixed rare earths carbonate (MREC) from its flagship Colossus project.

The company produced the initial five-kilogram batch at its rare earths research and processing centre in Poços de Caldas, in the state of Minas Gerais, before delivering it to the SENAI Innovation and Technology Centre of Minas Gerais, (CIT SENAI ITR). The occasion marks Viridis' progression beyond simply producing a basic mineral concentrate, instead using its advanced processing to create a higher-value, mid-stream product.

The delivery is seen as a milestone contribution to Brazil’s national “Project MagBras”, an ambitious government-backed program to establish the country’s first fully integrated mine-to-magnet production cycle. Brazil is increasingly positioning itself as a credible downstream hub for rare earths amid the global scramble to secure new non-China-sourced magnet capacity, which remains a major industry theme.

The refined MREC product from Colossus will now progress through Brazil’s emerging domestic supply chain. It will first go to the Centre for Mineral Technology in Rio de Janeiro for separation into individual rare earth oxides. From there, it will be shipped to the Institute for Technological Research in São Paulo for production of a rare earth metals alloy.

Finally, the alloy will return to CIT SENAI ITR – the biggest rare earth magnet laboratory and pilot manufacturing facility in the Southern Hemisphere – for permanent magnet production and testing. The centre has the capacity to process an estimated 100kg of ore per hour and produce up to 2920kg of MREC per year.

Management says the state-owned operation provides the perfect platform to demonstrate and optimise the Colossus flowsheet ahead of Viridis' targeted launch of commercial production in 2028, as outlined in the company's recent definitive feasibility study.

We have been working towards this for three years, from advancing Colossus and establishing our processing capability at our CPTR, to the previous delivery of recycled rare earth oxides through Viridion. We are now introducing a refined MREC product produced from Colossus ore into that same emerging Brazilian supply chain.   Viridis Mining and Minerals Managing Director Rafael Moreno

This is not the company’s first contribution to Brazil’s rare earths ambitions. In May last year, Viridion – a joint venture between Viridis and Ionic Rare Earths – delivered a batch of separated magnet rare earth oxides produced from recycled, end-of-life permanent magnets to CIT SENAI ITR.

Together, primary production from Colossus and the recycling activities of Viridion are expected to support the development of an integrated and neatly circular rare earth industry in Brazil.

CIT SENAI ITR’s facility is a national reference centre for technological innovation and is supported by the Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais. Its “Lab Fab” facility aims to scale up production of neodymium-iron-boron magnets to 100 tonnes per year by the end of this year.

With its own advanced processing capability now proven and a clear pathway into Brazil’s burgeoning mine-to-magnet ecosystem, Viridis appears to be positioning itself not just as a miner, but as a foundational pillar of South America’s play for a strategic slice of the global rare earths pie, well outside the currently restricted supply avenues from China.

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