- Lepidico (LPD) demonstrates it can produce catalyst-grade caesium compounds
- Samples of both caesium sulphate and caesium hydroxide have been generated and are in the process of being sent out to customers for assessment
- The company says strong demand for caesium carbonate and hydroxide has led it to leveraging its L-Max work to develop process steps for manufacturing these high value chemicals from lepidolite
- Further samples of caesium hydroxide are also in the process of being manufactured
- Lepidico shares are up 8.7 per cent, trading at 2.5 cents at 10:40 am AEDT
Lepidico (LPD) has demonstrated it can produce catalyst-grade caesium compounds.
The company said samples of both caesium sulphate and caesium hydroxide had been generated and were in the process of being sent out to customers for assessment.
The announcement comes at the right time, as one of just two size producers of caesium chemicals globally ceases production due to depletion of a major pollucite raw material feed source .
The company said this strong demand for caesium carbonate and hydroxide had led it to leverage its L-Max work to develop process steps for manufacturing these high value chemicals from lepidolite.
Lepidolite is said to be a viable alternative source of caesium when processed using Lepidico’s proprietary hydrometallurgical technologies. The company said conventional roasting of lithium mica concentrates did not generate valuable by products, with metals such as caesium and rubidium being lost to process waste.
“Lepidico’s Phase 1 chemical plant will provide a much needed new source of caesium chemicals for industrial users,” Lepidico’s Managing Director Joe Walsh said.
“We have seen significant interest in our products and have now refined our process to meet specific customer specification requirements.”
Further samples of caesium hydroxide are also in the process of being manufactured.
Meanwhile, the company has lodged a provisional patent application for the manufacture of ternary catalyst compounds from lithium mica minerals.
Lepidico shares were up 8.7 per cent, trading at 2.5 cents at 10:40 am AEDT.