Chile joins 4 critical mineral R&D projects led by Enami and Corfo

Enami

Chile joins 4 critical mineral R&D projects as Enami steps into late-stage pilots with partners across cobalt, rare earths, and lithium. Chile joins 4 critical mineral R&D projects by contributing mining waste streams and technical staff. Therefore, the program targets faster validation of extraction methods under real operating conditions.

Chile joins 4 critical mineral R&D projects through Corfo-backed initiatives that move from lab results to pilot proof. Enami will supply mining waste from its operations for testing and scale-up. Meanwhile, Enami will provide specialised labour to analyse results and validate methods during pilot execution.

Chile joins 4 critical mineral R&D projects with four distinct workstreams in 2026. One project targets cobalt recovery from mining waste with Andres Bello University and a $3mn budget. Another aims to develop and test rare earth extraction, separation, and processing with junior miner NEORE under a $4mn programme.

Why mining waste becomes a strategic feedstock for critical minerals

Mining waste can unlock critical minerals without new mine footprints. Tailings and ferrous waste can carry recoverable cobalt or rare earths in measurable grades. As a result, R&D that proves consistent recovery can reduce permitting friction and shorten time to supply.

Pilots also de-risk the hardest variables for investors and operators. Metallurgy, reagent intensity, and impurity control often break economics at scale. However, industrial waste trials can reveal practical recovery rates and processing costs earlier than greenfield projects.

What to watch in 2026: REE extraction and direct lithium extraction pilots

Two Enami collaborations with Corfo’s R&D branch CNP focus on rare earths and lithium. One project seeks to extract rare earths from ferrous mining waste in northern Chile with a $3.9mn budget. Another studies direct lithium extraction under a $1.9mn programme.

These efforts sit in the “closing stages” and plan to begin in 2026. Therefore, the key signal will be whether pilots deliver repeatable results across variable waste batches. Meanwhile, successful validation could support a pipeline of modular processing units near existing mining sites.

The Metalnomist Commentary

This approach treats waste as a scalable feedstock, not a cleanup cost. However, the projects will only matter if pilots prove consistent output quality and manageable impurities. Chile can win by standardising data and moving quickly into commercial modules.