- Lithium Australia’s (LIT) first-generation LieNA lithium processing technology will be granted a patent from the European Patent Office
- The patent will provide legal protection in nominated European countries for 20 years from the date of filing
- The LieNA technology is designed to improve the recovery of lithium from spodumene for use in the production of critical battery materials
- Notably, improved lithium recoveries can reduce both the footprint and environmental impact of mining
- On the market, Lithium Australia is up 1.01 per cent and is trading at 10 cents per share
Lithium Australia’s (LIT) first-generation LieNA lithium processing technology will be granted a patent from the European Patent Office.
The patent will provide legal protection in nominated European countries for 20 years from the date of filing.
LIT’s LieNA technology is designed to improve the recovery of lithium from spodumene, the most common hard-rock source of lithium, for use in the production of critical battery materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Notably, improved lithium recoveries can reduce both the footprint and environmental impact of mining.
“Lithium Australia continues to focus on developing novel solutions to lithium processing problems. The commercialisation of the LieNA process will be an opportunity to improve the sustainability of the LIB industry, which drastically needs to reduce its environmental footprint,” Managing Director Adrian Griffin said.
“We see an immediate application for LieNA in Australia, given that this country
produces well over half the world’s lithium and nearly all of its spodumene requirements, despite significant quantities of the latter never making it into the processing supply chain.
The problem starts with the very nature of spodumene and the technology currently used to recover lithium from it. That problem could be solved by more efficient processing, and that is our aim.”
LIT has secured federal co-funding for the construction and operation of a LieNA processing plant, a project valued at $3.6 million.
Construction of an autoclave, the principal component of the pilot plant, has commenced in Mumbai, India. So far, COVID-19 has had no impact on the build schedule.
The company anticipates delivery to Australia in October 2021, with plant construction to be completed by year’s end to enable the first pilot run.
On the market, Lithium Australia is up 1.01 per cent and is trading at 10 cents per share at 12:04 am AEST.