Lithium Australia has received a ‘Certificate of Grant’ from IP Australia for its lithium processing technology patent.
The firm’s LieNA® technology recovers lithium from fine and contaminated spodumene, the most common hard-rock source of lithium for the production of battery materials.
The technology, which does not require a roasting stage, consists of a caustic digestion process followed by acid leaching to recover the lithium.
Together, Lithium Australia and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) have completed test work on the technology, with final recovery of lithium reported as greater than 85%.
The technology is the subject of a co-funded government research project aimed at providing lithium producers with improved environmental, social and governance performance.
The company aims to continue working towards commercialisation of LieNA® technology.
Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said: “Commercialisation of the LieNA® process is an opportunity to improve the sustainability of the lithium-ion battery industry.
“We see an immediate application for it in Australia, which produces well over half the world’s lithium requirements and nearly all of the spodumene needed; however, significant quantities of the latter never make it into the process supply chain.
“The problem starts with the very nature of the mineral and the processes currently used to recover lithium from it. That problem may be solved with more efficient processing – and that remains our focus. LieNA® could help mitigate much of the waste in the lithium industry.”
