Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation has recently announced a new initiative to provide mineralized clays for the extraction of lithium using supercritical carbon dioxide. The material, collected from Nevada’s Gemini Lithium Project, has demonstrated the potential to extract lithium via carbon dioxide extraction technology for the use in lithium-ion batteries and other refined products.
This has the potential to revolutionize the lithium production process. Currently, the process of extracting lithium is a labor-intensive, cost-prohibitive process that requires operators to use chemicals to separate lithium-bearing minerals from the ore, a process that is incredibly expensive and has huge environmental impacts.
The Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation, however, has discovered a new method for extracting lithium using supercritical carbon dioxide, which is much cleaner and more cost effective than traditional chemical extraction. Supercritical carbon dioxide is connected to a lithium ore and heated to a temperature of 90°C, at which point it becomes a liquid-like state and is able to penetrate into the ore to completely dissolve out the lithium.
This new technology is highly efficient and since the process does not involve the use of chemicals, it is eco-friendly. Additionally, the cost of lithium recovered is drastically reduced since the process requires minimal workforce and easily procurable materials.
The Gemini Lithium Project is helping to further this research and development initiative and other similar projects may soon follow. With the introduction of more efficient methods to extract lithium, the price of the physical commodity may also become more competitive with the current market. Overall, this development is a positive one for the lithium industry and one to look out for in the future.
