- The first samples of Lake Resources’ (LKE) high-purity lithium carbonate are on their way to Canada to be tested in Novonix (NVX) battery test cells
- Novonix provides high-precision battery testing equipment to top battery makers including Panasonic, Samsung, Bosch, Honda and Dyson
- If the testing phase with Novonix shows Lake’s product to be of a sufficiently high quality, it’s likely doors will open as Lake enters the market
- So far, the end-product lithium carbonate has been produced in line with expectations, on budget and through a simple flowsheet
- A high-purity lithium product produced relatively cheaply and sustainably is a valuable commodity in the new green economy
- Lake Resources closed Thursday’s session 3.33 per cent higher at 6.2 cents, while Novonix gained 3.26 per cent to close at $1.11
The first samples of Lake Resources’ (LKE) high-purity lithium carbonate are on their way to Canada to be tested in Novonix (NVX) battery test cells.
The 99.97 per cent-pure product, produced from Lake’s Kachi project brines, will be tested via preliminary cathode precursor lithiation, followed by full pilot-scale evaluation.
Big step
The testing phase with Novonix is crucial both to proving the quality of Lake’s product and in forging relationships with potential offtakers.
Novonix provides high-precision battery testing equipment to top battery makers including Panasonic, CATL, Samsung, SK Innovation, LG Chem, Bosch, Honda and Dyson.
The fact Lake’s lithium is both high-purity and “clean” — being responsibly sourced and relatively green — is important for offtake partners who have to prove their environmental credentials downstream in the electric vehicle and sustainable storage markets.
If the testing phase with Novonix shows Lake’s product to be of a sufficiently high quality, it’s likely doors will open as Lake enters the market.
Novonix anticipates the testing phase will take at least four months, with first results expected around two months after the first cathode material is produced.
Outlook
Lake’s Kachi brines are being processed by Lilac Solutions and Hazen Research into high-purity lithium carbonate.
Lilac turns bulk samples into lithium chloride, which Hazen then refines into five-to-six kilogram batches of the 99.97 per cent lithium carbonate.
Initial batches have been prepared from the first 20,000-litre load of Kachi brines dispatched to Lilac.
Lilac currently has a second 20,000-litre load on hand, witha third load being prepared to meet increasing demand.
So far, the end-product lithium carbonate has been produced in line with expectations laid out in the Kachi project’s pre-feasibility study, on budget and through a simple flowsheet.
A high-purity lithium product produced relatively cheaply and sustainably is a valuable commodity in the new green economy.
Lake Resources closed Thursday’s session 3.33 per cent higher at 6.2 cents, while Novonix gained 3.26 per cent to close at $1.11.