Lepidico (LPD) has filed a patent application for a new process for producing high-purity, battery-grade lithium carbonate.

The production process of the lithium exploration company involves the LOH-Max intermediate crude lithium hydroxide through the storage of carbon dioxide, which is planned to be captured and refined from the upstream L-Max process.

In October 2019, Lepidico's L-Max process technology obtained a US patent. This process is used to extract and recover lithium chemicals to supply lithium carbonate at low cost.

In addition, in December last year, the company cooperated with Cornish Lithium to commercialize L-Max and LOH-Max technologies.

Both technologies are said to be able to convert lepidolite minerals into fine alkali metal chemicals, including nominal battery-grade lithium hydroxide, without the need for energy-intensive roasting and calcination.

The design of the new process allows it to be combined with L-Max or LOH-Max technology and the chemical conversion of spodumene concentrate.

The company hopes that the process will contribute to the growing demand for lithium chemical companies to effectively switch between the production of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide in the manufacturing of lithium-ion battery cathodes and the electric vehicle market.

Lepidico's managing director Joe Walsh commented on the new process.

"The contact with consumers of lithium chemicals in the past two years shows that there is an increasing need for suppliers to be able to sign contracts with lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide," he said.

"Lepidico's new lithium carbonate process combined with its existing LMax and LOH-Max process technology provides a unique solution to this demand, which is cost-competitive and can reduce the already low carbon dioxide emissions in the industry. ," he continued. .

The capital cost of integrating this lithium carbonate function into the back end of the company's first phase of the plant is estimated to be less than US$1 million.

Lepidico plans to complete the process design work this quarter, so that the feasibility study of the lithium carbonate function of the first-stage plant can be reformed in the second year of production.

The last trading price of the stock was 2.2 cents per share.