Mining News
Frontier launches lithium hydroxide pilot plant with Glencore
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(Kitco News) - Frontier Lithium (TSX.V: FL) announced on Thursday the commencement of mini-pilot plant operations with XPS Expert Process Solutions (“XPS”), a Glencore company, at their research and development centre in Falconbridge, Ontario and at other off-site locations.
Frontier said that the goal of the pilot is to directly produce lithium hydroxide from the PAK lithium project resource. The PAK project contains Ontario’s highest grade and largest lithium resource and is located in an emerging premium lithium mineral district located in the Great Lakes region of northern Ontario.
The company added that the pilot plant aims to generate “high-purity battery grade” lithium hydroxide chemical which will be used as marketing samples of the product and will also provide essential data required for a future pre-feasibility study to be conducted by the company.
President and CEO Trevor Walker said, “We are excited by our progress with XPS on the mini-pilot plant. Last year’s preliminary test results showed the lithium extraction technology to be viable at bench-scale. The initial commissioning of the pilot represents a significant milestone and marks the culmination of extensive research and development into a flowsheet that could process spodumene concentrates directly to lithium hydroxide chemicals without employing a lithium carbonate intermediate.”
Frontier Lithium is a Sudbury based, publicly listed, junior mining company with the largest land position in an emerging premium lithium mineral district located in the Great Lakes region of northern Ontario.