Frontier Lithium has successfully produced battery-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate through a third-party firm using its cristillisation process technology from a purified lithium hydroxide solution.
The lithium salts were produced from ‘ore-to-hydroxide’ sulphate conversion by a mini-pilot plant, using core samples taken from the PAK lithium project, in Ontario.
“We continue to progress, de-risk and execute on our plan to build a fully-integrated lithium chemicals company to service the global battery and electric vehicle industry,” comments president and CEO Trevor Walker.
“We are looking to complete lithium chemicals process selection by year-end and will then commence subsequent piloting and demonstration programmes necessary to deliver the feasibility of an optimised process with innovative technology necessary for building a commercial lithium chemical processing plant in North America."
The programme results reflect Frontier's ability to produce concentrate and lithium hydroxide from the PAK lithium project.
The government of Ontario is financially supporting the programme of conventional direct conversion sulphate and novel sulphate-free processing of spodumene concentrates. The test work will support the prefeasibility study currently being conducted to assess the viability of a vertically integrated chemical company through operation of a spodumene mine and concentrator at the PAK lithium project to feed lithium chemicals plant operation in the Great Lakes region of North America.