Lithium Australia LieNA® extraction technology advances towards commercialisation

Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) is seeking expressions of interest to advance commercialisation of its LieNA® lithium extraction technology, which improves the sustainability of lithium production.

The company developed and designed LieNA® - a caustic conversion process that recovers lithium from fine and/or low-quality spodumene - with the assistance of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).

Bench-scale tests have demonstrated its ability to tolerate impurities and process fine feed material that cannot be handled by conventional converters that rely on roasting and acid leach.*"Greater cost control"*

Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said: "Adoption of LieNA® for mainstream lithium production potentially offers the owners of that technology greater control of costs in the lithium chemical supply chain.

"Through the ability to recover additional lithium from waste streams, the mining cost is spread over significantly higher production tonnages."

At present, recovery of spodumene to commercial concentrates in a form suitable for conventional converters may result in 30-50% (or more) of mined lithium being discharged into tailings dams.

Production of lithium chemicals for the battery industry from waste material could significantly reduce mining costs, as well as the environmental footprint of operations.