Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT, OTC:LMMFF, FRA:3MW)’s 90%-owned subsidiary Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd has filed two International Patent Applications with the Australia Patent office.
Submitted under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the applications relate to Envirostream Australia's selective separation of metal values from recycled lithium-ion batteries and recovery of electrode materials.
Separation and recovery of electrode materials
The PCT application ‘Process for recovering values from batteries’ describes a size-selective process for recovering electrode material from lithium-ion batteries, including as a mixed metal material (mixed metal dust - MMD) that comprises both cathode and anode powders.
Its second PCT application ‘Process for recovering values from process liquors’ describes processes for the selective recovery of mixed metal sulphates (such as a mixed cobalt-nickel sulphate) from a metal sulphate process liquor following leaching of MMD recovered from lithium-ion batteries.
“Acutely aware” of enviro footprint
Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said: “The Lithium Australia group is acutely aware of its environmental footprint and that of the society within which we live and operate.
“We can no longer afford to discard any products to landfill, let alone those that have a high embedded energy footprint, contain critical materials, or – in the case of lithium-ion batteries – both.
“We have developed unique processes to deal with battery waste and invite like-minded industry participants to work with us in improving the sustainability of our consumer-based society.”