Oct 17 2012
Rodinia Lithium successfully produced lithium carbonate from the concentrated brine derived from the pilot ponds installed at its Diablillos property, located in Salta, Argentina. This first batch of lithium carbonate achieved a purity of 99.45% Li2CO3, and can be further washed employing the same methods to 99.75% Li2CO3.
The process employed during the production of lithium carbonate is approximately the same as described in the Company's Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
William Randall, Rodinia's President & CEO, commented, "The production of battery grade lithium carbonate from brine concentrated on site is a major milestone for Rodinia. This reflects on both the quality of our brine and that of our team, who has advanced this project through the initial phases with remarkable success. This last achievement serves as further encouragement that our process design, as described in the PEA, can achieve high purity lithium carbonate production at the estimated costs."
The brine was concentrated and treated on site at the Salar and then shipped to SGS Laboratories in Lakefield, ON. The brine was then processed to prioritize lithium carbonate production following the flow sheet described in the PEA. Further batches of concentrated brine derived from the pilot ponds will be available for further processing prior to completing a full cycle at pilot scale in the first quarter of 2013. Completion of the pilot plant cycle is expected during the first quarter of 2013 and is expected to be the final component of the upcoming Feasibility Study.
William Randall added, "The next deliverable is expected to be the completion of an upgraded resource estimate that, in conjunction with the information gathered during operation of the pilot plant in Q1 2013, will form the basis of the Feasibility Study. All drilling and major construction work has been completed on site, which means we can focus our resources on the optimization of our Feasibility Study."
Source: http://www.rodinialithium.com