Seeks Further IP Protection For Battery Recycling
Lithium Australia (ASX:LIT) has filed two International Patent Applications with the Australia Patent Office. Submitted under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), they relate to 90% subsidiary Envirostream Australia’s selective separation of metal values from recycled lithium-ion batteries and recovery of electrode materials.
Lithium Australia Managing Director, Adrian Griffin, said the filing of PCT applications relates to Envirostream’s recycling process for lithium-ion batteries and ongoing company research and development activities targeting value-adds from the downstream processing of critical battery metals.
The PCT application ‘Process for recovering values from batteries’ – reference number PCT/AU2021/050886 – describes a size-selective process for recovering electrode material from lithium-ion batteries, including as a mixed metal material (mixed metal dust, ‘MMD’) that comprises both cathode and anode powders.
The PCT application ‘Process for recovering values from process liquors’ – reference number PCT/AU2021/050887 – describes processes for the selective recovery of mixed metal sulphates (such as a mixed cobalt-nickel sulphate) from a metal sulphate process liquor following leaching of mixed metal material (MMD) recovered from lithium-ion batteries.
“The Lithium Australia group is acutely aware of its environmental footprint and that of the society within which we live and operate,” Mr Griffin said.
“We can no longer afford to discard any products to landfill, let alone those that have a high embedded energy footprint, contain critical materials, or – in the case of lithium-ion batteries – both.
“We have developed unique processes to deal with battery waste and invite like-minded industry participants to work with us in improving the sustainability of our consumer-based society.”
For further information please visit: https://lithium-au.com/
