Minerals

PROJECT FUNDING

Success in CRC-P Round 8 funding

ANSTO is contributing to a number of critical minerals projects that will be funded under the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-Ps) Program – Round 8. Minerals' will be working with Lithium Australia NL on further development of the LiENa technology for conversion of waste spodumene, and with Australian Vanadium Ltd on high purity vanadium oxide production.

For further information on the projects, go to the Lithium Australia  NL and Australian Vanadium Ltd ASX announcements.

RESEARCH

Review of rare earth sulfation baking process

A comprehensive review of the sulfuric acid bake, an extraction process currently accounting for more than half of the world’s rare earth production, has recently been published by ANSTO in collaboration with Murdoch University.

CONSULTANCY

Lithium Australia NL Technology Development

One of ANSTO's longstanding clients in the lithium processing space, Lithium Australia NL, has secured a strategic deal with a leading Chinese battery producer DLG Battery Co. Ltd to commercialise cathode powders produced by LIT's wholly owned subsidiary VSPC. The partnership, known as Soluna Australia, will distrubute power management systems in Australia. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) formats will feature in their range. ANSTO has been working with LIT to develop processes for the production of lithium phosphate (a precursor for LFP batteries) from micas, spodumene and other lithium waste streams. Using the technology owned by VSPC, lithium phosphate from piloting at ANSTO has been converted into LFP cathode powders displaying exceptional performance in comparison to existing LFP cathode materials.

CONSULTANCY

Optimisation testwork completed

The Minerals team recently completed a successful optimisation testwork program for Boss Resources Ltd, as part of the re-start strategy for their Honeynoon Uranium Project in South Australia. A "step-change in the elution process" was achieved using a method developed by ANSTO.