New technology for battery grade lithium production
Research investigates processes to extract lithium and boost the state’s supply of battery minerals
Lithium extraction technology could be developed to convert a plentiful unused resource into high grade lithium and valuable by-products in the future with promising results revealed in a recent report.
The project, part of a major collaboration between the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), Murdoch University and sponsors Lithium Australia and Venus Metals Corp, sought to develop new technology for battery grade lithium production.
The project also aimed to capture valuable by-products from the extraction of high-grade lithium carbonate from certain groupings of minerals, known as micas. Associate Professor Aleks Nikoloski from the Harry Butler Institute at Murdoch University led the projectinvestigating how chemical process conditions could be optimised to separate impurities, resulting in a purified lithium product liquor.
The technical report for project M0479 summarising the research findings is available from the MRIWA website.
Page was last reviewed 11 March 2021