Neometals (ASX:NMT) plans to deliver purified brine before the end of the year after completing the purification phase of its lithium chemical pilot trial using its ELi Technology.
The battery materials specialist says the chemical processing technology purified lithium chloride to the specification required for electrolysis to commence, which is currently also slated for before the end of December.
ELi is designed to provide several advantages over conventional processes for the production of lithium hydroxide from brines, including lower operating costs, higher product purity, and a smaller carbon dioxide footprint.
The tech is owned by Reed Advanced Materials — a 70:30 joint venture (JV) between Neometals and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN).
Neometals says its latest round of purification testwork confirmed earlier bench-scale testing by removing greater than 97% of brine feed source impurities. The purification tests were completed using an actual South American salar brine concentrate.
The company now plans to complete brine and test preparation, as well as split samples for an electrolysis pilot, during Q4 this year, before undertaking a full-scale test and achieving lithium hydroxide crystallisation in Q1 2024. Reed Advanced Materials is co-funding the pilot work with Portugal’s largest chlor-alkali chemical producer, Bondalti Group.
Bondalti will continue to co-fund the trials while a new cooperation agreement is negotiated to cover a proposed demonstration plant in Portugal.
The ELi process comprises brine purification followed by electrolysis, where electricity is used to convert lithium chloride solutions into lithium hydroxide and/or lithium carbonate.
Neometals is focused on commercialising 3 environmentally friendly processing technologies that produce critical and strategic battery materials at ‘lowest-quartile costs with minimal carbon footprint’.
The company’s technologies include its majority owned ELi Technology and its wholly owned vanadium recovery technology, which is aimed at enabling the sustainable production of high-purity vanadium pentoxide from the processing of steelmaking by-products.
Bondalti Group is held by one of Portugal’s largest corporate groups, José de Mello Group.
Neometals had $14.239 million cash and cash equivalents at hand as of 30 September 2023, according to its latest quarterly report.
Write to Adam Drought at Mining.com.au
Images: Neometals
