- Lepidico’s L-Max technology has produced lithium carbonate at 99.95 per cent purity
- This positions Lepidico and its technology as a potentially significant asset to the growing lithium industry
- The company is also focusing on using its LOH-Max technology to produce lithium hydroxide and has started a test-work program
- Lithium hydroxide batch runs will start later this month for refining in November
- Lepidico’s shares are up 5.56 per cent, with shares trading at 1.9 cents apiece
Lepidico has advised that further results from its recent Pilot Plant campaign have been received and are highly impressive.
Results showed a lithium carbonate purity level of 99.95 per cent.
These findings extend from Lepidico’s encouraging pilot plant results released on September 16 whereby the L-Max technology delivered lithium carbonate at a purity level of 99.99 per cent.
Currently, many existing lithium producers deliver a nominal battery grade reference purity of 99.5 per cent. This positions Lepidico and L-Max as potentially very significant assets to the lithium industry.
In the September report, Lepidico announced elevated levels of calcium carbonate. The company believed it was due to contamination of chemical substances used during the final precipitation phase.
Today Lepidico announced calcium has reduced significantly after identifying the source of contamination.
The company will continue to try and improve the lithium chemical purity, however, utilising the LOH-Max technology to produce a high purity lithium hydroxide sample is the current priority.
LOH-Max produces high purity lithium hydroxide from lithium sulphate. A LOH-Max circuit is currently under construction and key consumables have been sourced.
A batch of crude lithium hydroxide is scheduled for later this month which should allow refining to a high purity product during November.
Lepidico’s shares are up 5.56 per cent, with shares trading at 1.9 cents apiece as at 4:10 pm AEDT.