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- Lithium Australia (LIT) looks to further protect its intellectual property for its lithium-ion battery production processes
- LIT says its subsidiary, Envirostream, has applied for two patent applications covering its lithium-ion separation and recycling processes
- If granted, the patents will protect Envirostream’s methods of recycling some of the recoverable material from lithium-ion batteries
- LIT Managing Director Adrian Griffin says the company has developed unique processes to deal with battery waste
- Shareholders have responded well to today’s patent application, with Lithium Australian shares up 2 per cent and trading at 15 cents each at 1:30 pm AEST
Lithium Australia (LIT) is looking to further protect its intellectual property for its lithium-ion battery production processes.
The company told investors this morning its subsidiary, Envirostream Australia, has filed two international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) for its lithium-ion separation and recycling processes.
Essentially, the two patents are designed to protect Envirostream’s methods of recycling some of the recoverable material from lithium-ion batteries.
Specifically, the first patent seeks to protect Envirostream’s size-selective process for recovering electrode material from lithium-ion batteries. LIT said this includes mixed metal material made up of both cathode and anode powders.
The second patent is similar but seeks to protect Envirostream’s process for recovering mixed metal sulphates from a process liquor following the leaching of mixed metal material which has been recovered from lithium-ion batteries.
LIT Managing Director Adrian Griffin said the company is “acutely aware” of its environmental footprint.
“We can no longer afford to discard any products to landfill, let alone those that have a high embedded energy footprint, contain critical materials, or — in the case of lithium-ion batteries — both,” Mr Griffin said.
“We have developed unique processes to deal with battery waste and invite like-minded industry participants to work with us in improving the sustainability of our consumer-based society.”
Today’s patent applications come not long after Lithium Australia announced a different subsidiary had been granted an Australian patent covering the production of nickel-and-cobalt-free battery cathode powders.
The now-patented process includes the production of lithium ferro phosphate and lithium manganese iron phosphate, which Lithium Australia said could potentially drive down production costs.
Shareholders have responded well to today’s patent application, with Lithium Australian shares up 2 per cent and trading at 15 cents each at 1:30 pm AEST. The company has a $149.44 million market cap.
