Lithium Australia’s “war on waste”
LITHIUM Australia will commence testing lithium mica to determine if the material has potential to become base feedstock for its proposed large-scale pilot plant (LSPP) in WA.
Lithium mica, long considered a waste material by the mining industry, will be sourced from one of two sites in the Eastern Goldfields, and tested at ANSTO Minerals’ (a division of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) Lucas Heights laboratories in Sydney.
Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said WA’s lithium fields hosted abundant pegmatites, many of which contained lithium micas.
He said the company had already undertaken substantial bench-scale test work on lithium micas sourced from its 80 per cent owned Lepidolite Hill deposit in the eastern Goldfields, however, far less test work has been carried out on a second lithium mica-style Goldfields deposit, designated Waste2.
“Early laboratory tests show that concentrates produced from Waste2 have metallurgical characteristics that vary from other micas tested,” Mr Griffin said.
“This is because the Waste2 concentrates are a mixture of muscovite (a common, low-lithium-content mica) and lepidolite (a common lithium mica).
“To help complete the final design parameters for the LSPP, a bulk concentrate from Waste2 has therefore been produced via froth flotation and will undergo testing at the newly constructed facility at Lucas Heights, which is based on Lithium Australia’s proprietary SiLeach processing technology.”
Lithium Australia will send the lithium chemical produced to its VSPC Brisbane plant for processing into battery cathode material.
“The cathode powder will then be tested at VSPC’s in-house battery testing facility,” he said.
“We hope to report on its performance with respect to battery applications in coming months.”