Lithium company exploring N.W.T. hopes to refine material in Canada, not China

A lithium exploration company working in the N.W.T. says getting a mine ready for production could be anywhere from six to eight years away – but already, it's evaluating how it would get the material refined and battery ready without relying on China. 

"It's likely that Edmonton will be an obvious place for an energy hub for lithium processing in future," said David Smithson, Li-FT's senior vice president of geology. 

According to the International Energy Agency, worldwide demand for critical minerals – like lithium – is expected to double by 2040. Keeping the supply chain within Canada is one of the major tasks ahead.

Li-FT's deposits, found in rock, can be crushed and separated but the material still needs to be converted into something that can be used in batteries – like lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, two final products typically used in lithium batteries. 

The two hard-rock mines producing lithium in Canada, Tanco in Manitoba and North American Lithium in Quebec, send their lithium to China for conversion. Right now Canada doesn't have a plant to do that work more locally, but Smithson expects that to change.

"Companies that have resources are banding together to put their resources together and work together to try to bring in partners to build these kinds of things within Canada," said Smithson.

Smithson said mining companies across Canada are working on projects to refine lithium from hard rock. In March this year, the federal government announced its partnership with Frontier Lithium Inc. to open what they say will be North America's very first lithium hydroxide conversion plant in Ontario. 

This year the Chinese commerce ministry proposed curbing exports on technology essential for battery components and critical minerals processing, so sharing refining tech between the two countries isn't looking like a likely option.

Smithson said the current political landscape, especially between the U.S. and Canada, has further encouraged collaboration to get projects off the ground that could help secure energy security in the future.

Another option

There are also companies focused on extracting lithium from water. Unlike those extracting lithium from hard rock, these companies are trying to extract it from brines.

Lithium mining company E3 in Alberta, for example, has developed the technology needed to take lithium out of the water from oilfield brines and to refine it themselves. 

E3 said it's on track to have one of the few projects in North America producing battery-quality lithium products by 2030.

"The process that we have landed on for our first commercial facility is a process called adsorption. And it's basically an exchange type of system that works much like the water softener in your basement," said E3 CEO Chris Doornbos.

Doornbos said adsorption involves adding a solid chemical, frequently referred to as a bead, to the water. The lithium attaches to the beads, which are then removed from the liquid. He said the beads are then rinsed with acid to release the lithium.

Doornbos said in the current state of the industry, it's a unique advantage to not rely on secondary processing in China.

"We're definitely the leaders in Canada, but there's a couple new U.S. development projects that are on the same path and time frame as we are." 

Doornbos said Canada's estimated demand for battery-grade lithium is about 200,000 tonnes a year, adding that E3 plans to scale up their facility to produce 36,000 tonnes a year.