European Lithium certifies Wolfsberg’s battery-grade lithium potential

European Lithium has received independent verification that its process testwork on ore from the Wolfsberg project has successfully produced battery-grade lithium products.

The certificates of analysis for lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide were given from testwork on bulk samples collected from ore stockpiles obtained from underground mining during 2013.

These products were compared against a series of German Industry Normal Specifications, derived from a cross section of independent consultant Anzaplan’s experiences with end users in lieu of the absence of a definitive industry standard.

European Lithium (ASX:EUR) also says major impurities were all well below the comparable product specifications.

“Together with the recent announcements in the resource upgrades these metallurgical results further enhance the value of the Wolfsberg project,” says chairman Tony Sage.

The company has just increased Measured, Indicated and Inferred resources at Wolfsberg by 11% to 12.9Mt grading 1% lithium oxide.

Wolfsberg testwork

Anzaplan has now carried out vigorous testwork such as sensor-based ore-sorting tests to minimise dilution of ore into a process plant and pilot test work to understand the physical processing characteristics of the ore into a spodumene concentrate product.

Other work on the bulk samples include setting and filtration tests, gravity separation techniques for mica removal, hydrometallurgical testing for converting spodumene concentrate into lithium carbonate, and conversions of lithium carbonate into lithium hydroxide.

This article was developed in collaboration with European Lithium, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.