Neometals, through its partnership with mining services heavyweight Mineral Resources, has inked an agreement with mining giant Rio Tinto to advance its patented lithium processing technology – the ELi process.
The company’s 70:30 joint venture Reed Advanced Materials (RAM) has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rio subsidiary Livent USA to explore the commercialisation of its proprietary process to convert lithium chloride from brines into high-purity lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH).
The process purifies, electrolyses and finally crystallises all forms of lithium inputs – from hard rock to brines – to form an ultra-pure LiOH using a chlor-alkali cell.
Unlike traditional chemical precipitation methods that rely on large volumes of reagents such as lime and soda ash, Neometals says ELi will produce a step-change reduction in operating costs and potentially even capital expenditure to produce an ultra-pure battery-grade product.
The company’s process also has a significantly lower carbon footprint, estimated at 2.7 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilogram of LiOH, compared to 10–15 tonnes for conventional spodumene or brine-based methods. It aligns with the growing demand for sustainable lithium production to support the global energy transition.
Under the freshly signed MoU, RAM and Rio Tinto will collaborate to advance the ELi process towards industrial application. The agreement outlines potential Rio Tinto funding for optimisation test work and updates to process design criteria for a pilot or demonstration-scale plant, likely targeting Rio’s lithium assets in Argentina’s world-class lithium triangle.
The agreement then outlines a potentially binding commercial agreement for field trials and broader application to Rio’s brine assets, should the tech prove itself on a pilot plant scale.
RAM has already had success testing Rio’s brines from its Rincon asset in Argentina. A 1000-hour electrolysis pilot trial in 2023/24 produced battery-grade LiOH, achieving more than 99.98 per cent impurity removal in the purification stage and 74 per cent current efficiency in electrolysis, while confirming all-important expected power consumption and membrane durability.
Neometals Limited managing director Chris Reed said: “We are naturally excited to collaborate with Rio Tinto to explore the potential to bring this technology closer to market. Rio Tinto is a global leader in energy transition commodities with scale, development capabilities, and financial strength. We are confident ELi can be an ideal complement to Rio Tinto’s direct lithium extraction technologies to further enhance the value of their Tier 1 portfolio.”
The ELi process initially focussed on spodumene processing before it was adapted to brine feedstocks, an already lower cost lithium production feed in a labouring global lithium market. A feasibility study for a 20,000 tonne per annum plant in Malaysia demonstrated economic viability, with a 51 per cent internal rate of return.
More recent engineering cost studies and pilot campaigns highlight ELi’s significant operating cost advantages and have confirmed the process’s scalability and cost competitiveness. RAM shrewdly holds 19 granted patents and 14 pending patents for the process across all the major lithium-producing regions – except China - including the United States, Argentina, Chile and Australia, providing robust intellectual property protection.
The latest collaboration signals strong industry interest in ELi’s potential to disrupt conventional lithium hydroxide production, as operational margins become increasingly sought after in a persisently low lithium price environment.
In parallel with its advancements in lithium processing, Neometals continues to make strides at its Barrambie gold project in Western Australia’s Murchison region. The company is leveraging its 706 square kilometres tenements along the underexplored Barrambie greenstone belt to deliver its ambitious exploration target of 335,000 ounces to 775,000 ounces of gold resources.
Neometals says it aims to fast-track a low capital expenditure development, prioritising early cash flow through offsite processing options and strategic partnerships. The company plans to achieve mineral resource status for key prospects by March next year.
As the electric vehicle battery market continues to expand, Neometals’ ELi process, backed by its partnership with Rio, positions the mining junior at the forefront of innovative lithium processing. The high-growth market will be dominated by the globe’s lowest cost producers – Neometals is in a box seat to capitalise on the trend via the already low-cost potential of ELi on lithium brines and direct lithium extraction for Rio Tinto in Argentina.
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By Andrew Todd
