Viridis Mining and Minerals Limited has delivered an initial 5kg batch of refined mixed rare earth carbonate produced from Colossus ore to the SENAI Innovation and Technology Centre of Minas Gerais.

The material originates from the company's Rare Earth Research and Processing Centre in Poços de Caldas and represents a material advancement over previous activities. Viridis previously delivered recycled rare earth oxides to CIT SENAI ITR via its Viridion joint venture in May 2025. The latest delivery introduces refined carbonate produced directly from Brazilian mine ore into the domestic industrialisation pipeline.

The 5kg batch will now progress through several institutional facilities in Brazil. It will move initially to the Centre for Mineral Technology in Rio de Janeiro for separation into rare earth oxides, followed by the Institute for Technological Research in São Paulo for alloy production. The material will then return to CIT SENAI ITR for permanent magnet manufacturing and testing.

This is another important step in Viridis' continued support for the development of a domestic rare earth supply chain in Brazil. 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.

— Rafael Moreno, Managing Director

The demonstration plant maintains a processing capacity of approximately 100kg of ore per hour and an annual production rate of up to approximately 2,920kg of mixed rare earth carbonate. The facility provides a testing platform to refine flowsheet parameters ahead of targeted commercial production in 2028, as outlined in the definitive feasibility study released in August 2026.

Operating as the company's flagship asset, the rare earth project sits alongside Australian mineral holdings that include the Bindoon nickel-copper-PGE project, the Boddington West gold project, and the Poochera and Smoky kaolin-halloysite properties.

Read the full announcement: VMM Continues to Advance Brazil's Domestic RE Supply Chain