Neometals Ltd (NMT: ASX), along with Mineral Resources Limited (MIN:ASX), has announced an extension to its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Livent USA Corp, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group. Neometals is focused on delivering stakeholder value by enabling the sustainable production of critical and valuable materials essential for a cleaner future, and is commercialising a portfolio of low-cost sustainable processing solutions for critical materials in parallel with the exploration and development of mining operations at its Barrambie Gold Project. The extension allows for further collaboration on validating and advancing RAM’s lithium processing technology, known as the ELi Process. RAM is a 70:30 co-owned company between Neometals and Mineral Resources Limited.
The initial MoU was executed on June 24, 2025, with an initial term of eight months. The extension provides an additional twelve months for completing tests of new brine feedstock from Rio Tinto’s existing brine operations. It also allows for the integration of Industrie De Nora S.p.A. and its subsidiary De Nora Permelec Ltd into the ELi Process pilot-scale validation program, focusing on incorporating De Nora’s electrolysis equipment into RAM’s process flowsheet.
RAM and De Nora recently entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly design, build, and commission a pilot plant integrating De Nora’s electrolysis system with RAM’s ELi Process. The objective is to advance the integrated solution toward industrial validation at an end-user site, subject to Rio Tinto approvals where applicable. The announcement was authorised on behalf of Neometals by Managing Director Christopher Reed.
