Neometals and Mineral Resources, through their 70:30 co-owned entity Reed Advanced Materials (RAM), have signed a memorandum of understanding with Rio Tinto to advance a lithium processing technology. The partnership will focus on validating RAM’s trademarked ELi Process Technology, which uses electricity to convert lithium chloride solutions into lithium hydroxide, eliminating the need for large volumes of bulk chemical reagents. Neometals is an Australian project developer focused on critical and battery minerals. Mineral Resources is a diversified resources company with extensive operations in mining services and commodity production.
According to Neometals managing director Chris Reed, the MoU marks a significant milestone in the development of the ELi technology. He expressed excitement about collaborating with Rio Tinto, highlighting ELi’s potential to deliver substantial cost savings compared to standard chemical precipitation methods. The collaboration aims to explore how ELi can complement Rio Tinto’s direct lithium extraction technologies, potentially enhancing the value of Rio’s portfolio.
Under the agreement, Rio Tinto and RAM will explore opportunities for RAM to conduct optimisation test work and update the process design criteria for a pilot or demonstration-scale plant. Following this, the companies intend to discuss a further agreement to test ELi in a real-world application. They will also consider the potential for Rio Tinto to fund the optimisation test work and process design updates, indicating a strong commitment to the technology’s advancement.
In separate news, Neometals announced its first mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the Ironclad prospect at its wholly-owned Barrambie gold project in Western Australia. The MRE includes an inferred mineral resource of approximately 250,000 tonnes at 1.6 grams per tonne, containing 13,000 ounces of gold. The estimate covers mineralisation near historic underground workings, based on shallow reverse circulation and rotary air blast drilling.
