Critical Minerals

Critical solutions. Proven excellence.

Metso offers the industry's broadest metals refining portfolio - combining decades of metallurgical expertise, advanced proprietary equipment and proven process technologies - to deliver complete solutions from concept to industrial scale.

Cutting edge solutions

Process solutions for various minerals

Proven expertise

Extensive industry experience in delivery of refineries

Proprietary equipment

Reliable results powered by the industry's widest portfolio

Powering technology, sustainability and economic growth

Critical minerals are the backbone of modern technology and sustainable development. Rare earth elements, graphite, tungsten, vanadium and other specialty metals are essential for advanced manufacturing, high-performance alloys, electronics, catalysts, and strategic technology and aerospace applications. These materials play a central role in the stability and resilience of regional technology value chains and long term industrial competitiveness. Securing efficient, sustainable and economically viable production of these minerals, often from complex, low-grade or by-product feeds is increasingly critical as demand grows and global supply conditions become more constrained.

Cutting edge solutions

We deliver future-proof solutions for minerals processing and metals refining, offering a wide portfolio that covers every key stage of the process. We utilize our market-leading position and the decades-long experience in base and critical battery minerals to continuously develop technologies for critical metals and have the capability to provide complete commercial solutions.

Our advanced capabilities include digital offering and flowsheet development, ensuring optimized performance and efficiency.

Proven expertise

With decades of experience in metallurgical process development, we have a proven track record of success. From initial process concepts through laboratory and pilot-scale test work and engineering to full-scale industrial plants, we support customers at every step.

Our collaborative approach emphasizes co-development, tailoring solutions to meet specific customer needs and has delivered customer success in the past. We also develop new flowsheets based on customer requirements—and have successfully done so in the past.

Proprietary equipment

Our proprietary equipment portfolio is the most comprehensive in the industry, spanning the core process stages; crushing - Opens in a new window, screening - Opens in a new window, grinding - Opens in a new window, separation - Opens in a new window, thickening - Opens in a new window, filtration - Opens in a new windowand metals refining - Opens in a new window. Deep equipment expertise gives us a strong position in customizing flowsheets for optimal performance. We offer proven equipment and plant references, backed by guaranteed performance.

To ensure long-term reliability, our global service organization provides start-up assistance, maintenance and spare parts support wherever you operate.

Solutions for different ores

Critical minerals can be recovered from many types of feed materials both as a main product or as a by-product from an existing operation or a tailings facility. The feed materials vary in chemical and mineralogical composition, and the key capability is to develop a solution that results in a strong financial and sustainable outcome.

We have technologies for critical battery minerals - Opens in a new window such as lithium, nickel and cobalt.

Flowsheets

Comprehensive development and testwork capabilities

We provide end-to-end development and testwork capabilities to unlock the full value of critical mineral deposits, from early exploration to full-scale production. Supported by advanced laboratories and pilot facilities at the Pori Research Center, we deliver detailed mineralogical analysis, bench- and pilot-scale testing, and complete flowsheet development across the value chain.

Combining deep process expertise with automation, robotics, and digital simulation, we generate accurate, scalable data that reduces risk and speeds up decision-making. Our integrated approach enables optimization of complex circuits, from comminution and separation to hydrometallurgy and refining, maximizing recovery, efficiency, and sustainability.

For minerals like lithium, nickel, and rare earths, our tailored testwork programs address ore variability, enabling robust, future-ready process design.