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The technology is subject to an international patent application and Lepidco is developing the process further to expand its application. A recent milestone for Lepidico was the completion of the pre-feasibility study which managing director Joe Walsh says has demonstrated L-Max®’s considerable potential as a low-cost solution for producing lithium chemicals. The process was tested using three different lepidolite concentrate feeds and returned excellent results. The PFS tests produced high specification battery grade lithium carbonate at 99.88% purity.

“L-Max® has consistently delivered excellent results from the recent test work programmes, both in terms of recoveries and product specification,” explains Walsh.

As well as providing high grade product, the technology will unlock a third source of lithium for the global market. Walsh explains that until now there has not been a process technology that can commercially exploit lithium micas and to date they have largely remained in the ground, lithium today largely comes from conventional brine or spodumene.

Walsh highlights two of Lepidico’s strongest competitive advantages after validating L-Max®, “Firstly lepidolite has not been systematically explored for so the best grade deposits sitting at surface are still in the ground, sources of high quality lepidolite that can be mined cost effectively.

“The other key factor is that the technology benefits from a suite of by-products and so long as the L-Max® plant is strategically located to maximise the value of those by-products and minimise the transport cost of bulk reagents we will be right at the bottom end of the cost curve.”

Lepidico will be pursuing both a fully integrated business model and a downstream process model which will combine the use of third party feed sources into its L-Max® plant. The strategy is straightforward, to secure and acquire quality lepidolite deposits that will support the development of a mine and concentrator to provide feed to the downstream plants, as well as to bring in third party feeds.

“The compelling findings from the recent pre-feasibility study have provided the confidence to commit to a full feasibility study for the Phase 1 L-Max® plant located in Ontario, Canada,” remarks Walsh.