Victory Metals achieves processing breakthrough at North Stanmore pilot plant
Victory Metals has reported a significant processing milestone at the North Stanmore rare earths project in Western Australia, achieving a near-60-fold upgrade in rare earth concentration through continuous pilot-scale testing at its facility in Perth.
The company feed material, grading 1,195 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth oxides (TREO) was upgraded to a high-grade concentrate averaging around 7.1 per cent TREO, or roughly 71,000ppm.
It’s understood around 40 per cent of the recovered material consists of heavy rare earths, which are the most valuable and strategically important components of the basket.
The results were generated from 65 samples collected across 25 drill holes and processed in a continuously operating flotation circuit. This marks a step up from earlier test work, as the system was run at a scale around 12 times larger than previous trials.
Victory said the outcome confirms that rare earths at North Stanmore can be efficiently separated using a simple flotation process at ambient temperature.
The company emphasised that this approach avoids more complex and expensive methods commonly used in rare earth processing, such as high-temperature cracking or acid-based extraction.
This could significantly reduce both capital and operating costs if the process is scaled up.
Key heavy rare earths recovered in the concentrate include dysprosium, terbium and yttrium, all critical materials used in advanced technologies such as electric motors, defence systems and renewable energy.
“This is the result we have been driving towards,” Victory Metals chief executive officer Brendan Clark said in a statement, noting the results results demonstrate the “simplicity and strength” of the processing route and support the company’s move toward producing larger volumes of concentrate for potential offtake partners.
“We have now proven, at continuous pilot scale and on our own plant commissioned right here in Perth at our own premises, that North Stanmore’s heavy rare earths can be concentrated in a simple, conventional flotation circuit while preserving the premium dysprosium, terbium and yttrium basket that makes this deposit strategically important.”
The concentrate will now be used for further testing and customer evaluation, feeding into the company’s upcoming pre-feasibility study as it advances North Stanmore toward potential development.