• Testwork demonstrates simulated brine matches actual well brine composition and behaviour
• Conventional evaporation-precipitation method preferred for lithium extraction
• Feasibility of producing technical-grade lithium carbonate and boron by-product

Altamin Ltd has announced the outcomes of testwork performed by ANSTO for the company's wholly-owned Lazio project. ANSTO successfully reproduced the chemistry of the original Cesano C-1 well brine in a simulant and demonstrated the precipitation of glaserite, an intermediate to SOP, to produce an evaporated liquor composition similar to that modelled in Altamin's previous desktop study. Following the evaporation-precipitation process to produce SOP product, the remaining minerals in the SOP barren liquor, including lithium and boron, were significantly concentrated. ANSTO investigated pathways for extraction of these valuable metals and demonstrated the recovery of boron from the SOP barren liquor, concluding that the value of the boron, as borax, was substantial relative to the contained lithium value. The testwork successfully demonstrated that a conventional flowsheet can produce technical-grade lithium carbonate and a borax by-product from the SOP barren liquor. Future optimising flowsheet design will aim towards increased impurity rejection to achieve battery grade lithium carbonate purity.

Future optimising flowsheet design will aim towards increased impurity rejection aiming for battery grade lithium carbonate purity.