A testing ground where theory meets the reality of extraction
Em Poços de Caldas, cidade que já carrega no subsolo a promessa de uma nova era industrial, a Viridis Mining inaugurou um centro de pesquisa e processamento de terras raras que coloca o Brasil diante de uma escolha histórica: seguir dependente de cadeias de suprimento dominadas pela China ou construir, com paciência e risco calculado, uma soberania mineral própria. O investimento de R$25 milhões não compra certezas — compra a possibilidade de testá-las. É o tipo de aposta que as nações fazem quando percebem que os materiais do futuro já estão sob seus pés.
- A corrida global por minerais estratégicos chegou ao interior de Minas Gerais: a Viridis abriu uma das maiores plantas-piloto de terras raras fora da China, sinalizando que o Brasil quer um lugar nessa disputa.
- A planta processa 100 kg de minério por hora e produz quase 3 toneladas anuais de carbonato de terras raras — insumo essencial para ímãs, turbinas eólicas e baterias de veículos elétricos.
- O investimento de R$25 milhões ainda não é operação comercial: é um campo de provas para validar tecnologia, reduzir riscos e enfrentar a complexidade química e ambiental que torna esse setor tão difícil de dominar.
- O monitoramento de três reservatórios que abastecem Poços de Caldas revela a tensão real do projeto — extrair riqueza mineral sem comprometer a água que a cidade bebe.
- Com operação comercial prevista para 2028, mais de 100 empregos especializados e parcerias universitárias no horizonte, a empresa aposta que Poços de Caldas pode se tornar um polo nacional de pesquisa em minerais críticos.
Na quinta-feira, 28 de maio, a Viridis Mining & Minerals abriu no Distrito Industrial de Poços de Caldas aquilo que descreve como uma das maiores plantas-piloto de processamento de terras raras em operação fora da China. A cidade mineira, já conhecida por sua vocação mineral, torna-se agora o centro da aposta brasileira de competir num mercado historicamente dominado por produtores chineses.
A instalação custou R$25 milhões, ocupa cerca de 5.000 metros quadrados e ainda não é uma operação comercial — esse passo está previsto para 2028. Por ora, trata-se de um laboratório em escala real: a planta processa até 100 kg de minério por hora e deve produzir aproximadamente 2.920 kg anuais de carbonato misto de terras raras, matéria-prima para os ímãs e tecnologias de energia limpa que governos e empresas disputam com crescente urgência.
Os executivos da Viridis apresentaram a inauguração como prova de conceito. O diretor executivo José Marques Braga Junior destacou que o projeto demonstra a viabilidade da tecnologia em escala; o CEO Rafael Moreno ressaltou que o primeiro lote produzido confirma o método de processamento. São afirmações que importam num setor onde a química é difícil, os riscos ambientais são concretos e a concorrência é implacável.
A dimensão socioambiental também está no centro do projeto. A gerente de sustentabilidade Karla Brandão apontou o monitoramento contínuo dos reservatórios Cipó, Bortolan e Saturnino de Brito — que abastecem o município — como parte integrante da operação. Numa cidade que depende dessas águas, a promessa de extração sem contaminação não é detalhe: é condição de legitimidade.
Além da planta, a Viridis projeta um ecossistema local: mais de 100 empregos diretos e indiretos, parcerias com universidades e instituições de pesquisa, e a formação de trabalhadores especializados em minerais estratégicos. O pano de fundo é geopolítico — terras raras são essenciais para a transição energética, e a dependência global da China tornou-se uma vulnerabilidade que o Brasil, com seus depósitos e agora com sua nova infraestrutura, pretende ajudar a reduzir. A planta está em funcionamento. O verdadeiro teste começa agora.
On Thursday, May 28th, Viridis Mining & Minerals opened the doors to what it calls one of the largest rare earth processing pilot plants operating anywhere outside China. The facility sits in the Industrial District of Poços de Caldas, a city in Minas Gerais that has become the center of Brazil's push to extract and refine the minerals that power everything from wind turbines to electric vehicle batteries. The company has named the operation the Rare Earth Research and Processing Center, and it represents a deliberate bet that Brazil can compete in a market long dominated by Chinese producers.
The plant cost R$25 million to build and occupies about 5,000 square meters. It is not yet a commercial operation—that comes in 2028, if all goes according to plan. Instead, this is a testing ground. The machinery here will run through the technical and operational challenges that the company expects to face when it scales up to full production. The pilot can process roughly 100 kilograms of ore per hour and is designed to produce around 2,920 kilograms annually of mixed rare earth carbonate, a material known by the acronym MREC. That compound feeds into the manufacturing chains that make the powerful magnets and clean energy technologies that governments and corporations worldwide are racing to secure.
Viridis executives framed the opening as validation of their approach. José Marques Braga Junior, the company's executive director, called it a crucial step in proving the technology works at scale. Rafael Moreno, the CEO, emphasized that the first batch of rare earth carbonate they produced demonstrates the viability of their processing method. Both statements carry weight because rare earth extraction and refinement are notoriously complex—the chemistry is difficult, the environmental risks are real, and the competition is fierce. A pilot plant that works is not a guarantee that a commercial operation will work, but it is a necessary proof.
Beyond the machinery and the chemistry, the center is meant to address the regulatory and social dimensions of mining in Brazil. Karla Brandão, the company's sustainability manager, pointed to protections being built into the operation: monitoring of three reservoirs—Cipó, Bortolan, and Saturnino de Brito—that supply drinking water to the municipality, plus ongoing assessment of water and soil quality as the mining phases begin. These are not minor details. Mining operations can damage water supplies and soil integrity, and in a city that depends on those reservoirs, the stakes are high. The company is betting that careful monitoring and protective measures will allow it to extract minerals without poisoning the water that people drink.
The employment picture is also part of the pitch. Viridis says the pilot plant and the eventual commercial operation will create more than 100 direct and indirect jobs—positions for technicians, researchers, lab workers, operators, and managers. The company is also signaling openness to partnerships with universities and research institutions, suggesting that Poços de Caldas could become a hub for applied research in strategic minerals and the training of specialized workers. That vision extends beyond the mine itself; it imagines a local ecosystem built around expertise in rare earths.
The broader context is geopolitical. Rare earth minerals are considered strategic because they are essential to technologies that define the 21st century: electronics, batteries, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and the infrastructure of the energy transition. China has long controlled the supply chain, and that dominance has become a vulnerability for countries that depend on these materials. Brazil has rare earth deposits, and Viridis is positioning itself as a way for the country to reduce that dependency and capture some of the value in a market that is only growing. The Colossus Project, as the company calls its broader initiative, is part of a national strategy to strengthen Brazil's hand in the global minerals economy.
The pilot plant is now running. The real test begins in the years ahead—whether the technology holds up, whether the environmental protections work, whether the local community accepts the operation, and whether the company can actually move to commercial production in 2028. For now, Poços de Caldas has a new facility, a new set of possibilities, and a new reason to watch what happens next.
Citas Notables
The structure represents a crucial step in validating the technology for the mineral exploration project developed by the company in Poços de Caldas— José Marques Braga Junior, Executive Director, Viridis Mining & Minerals
The production of the first batch of mixed rare earth carbonate demonstrates the viability of the processing model adopted by the company— Rafael Moreno, CEO, Viridis Mining & Minerals
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a pilot plant matter so much? Isn't the company just delaying the real work?
A pilot plant is where theory meets reality. You can model rare earth processing on a computer, but you can't know if your chemistry works, if your equipment breaks down, if your waste streams behave the way you predicted, until you actually run it. It's the difference between a blueprint and a building.
And the environmental piece—is that genuine concern or just public relations?
Both, probably. The company has real regulatory requirements to meet before it can operate commercially. But the fact that they're monitoring three specific reservoirs suggests they've done the work to understand what could go wrong. That's either competence or theater. Time will tell.
What happens if the pilot fails?
Then the 2028 timeline slips, the investment grows, and investors get nervous. But the company has already spent R$25 million to learn what doesn't work. That's expensive, but it's cheaper than building a full commercial plant that fails.
Why should Poços de Caldas care about this beyond the jobs?
Because rare earths are the minerals that power the world's transition away from fossil fuels. If Brazil can refine them domestically, it keeps money and expertise in the country instead of shipping raw ore to China. It's about sovereignty and long-term economic power.
And if the water gets contaminated?
Then the city loses its water supply and the company loses its license to operate. That's why the monitoring matters. It's not just environmental virtue—it's the company's insurance policy.
So we're watching to see if this works?
Exactly. We're watching to see if Brazil can actually do this, if the company can execute, and if a city can host a strategic industry without sacrificing what it needs to survive.