Nemaska Lithium is developing in Québec a spodumene lithium hard rock deposit in the world, important in both volume and grade. (Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, LiAl(SiO₃)₂.) The spodumene concentrate produced at Nemaska Lithium’s Whabouchi mine will be shipped to the Corporation’s lithium compounds processing plant to be built in Shawinigan, Québec. This plant will transform spodumene concentrate into high purity lithium hydroxide and carbonate using the company’s proprietary methods.

Nemaska also provided an update on the commissioning of its Phase 1 Plant Operations. The initial five steps: Pressure Testing and Electrical Systems Start-up; Membrane Electrolysis Start-Up; Hydromet Start-Up; Lithium Hydroxide Samples sent to Johnson Matthey; and Crystallization have all been completed. Step 6—Lithium Hydroxide from Whabouchi Concentrate—is underway. Click to enlarge.

Nemaska Lithium is producing greater than 6% Li₂O spodumene concentrate from a mine representative bulk sample taken from the eastern section of the proposed open pit at the Whabouchi Mine. This concentrate will be converted into lithium sulfate and further processed into lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate salts.

Installation of the calcination system and the acid baking process is scheduled to be complete by the end of June 2017. These systems will be commissioned starting in July and Nemaska Lithium expects to be producing battery grade lithium hydroxide samples from concentrate thereafter. These samples will then be sent to numerous potential customers globally for evaluation and qualification.