General Discussion Topics, page-142097

Interesting "diversification" by Arcadium for their Lithium Asset Portfolio

They have acquired Li-Metal for a total consideration of US$11M (the following paragraphs from Li_Metals announcement)

"Pursuant to a definitive Asset Purchase Agreement dated August 2, 2024 (the “Agreement”), Li-Metal sold the assets for aggregate cash consideration paid today by the Purchaser of US$11,000,000. The Assets include all of Li-Metal’s lithium metal production technology, including all related patents, proprietary know-how, and physical assets utilized in lithium metal production."

"Arcadium, amongst other things, will assume operations of Li-Metal’s pilot metal production facility located in Markham, Ontario, to continue the commercialization of lithium metal production technology. To support Li-Metal’s next generation lithium metal anode commercialization, parties have entered into a supply agreement under which Arcadium will provide lithium metal to Li-Metal as part of a long term off-take agreement."

and then from Arcadium

"The acquisition is expected to strengthen Arcadium Lithium's position as a leading global producer of lithium metal by providing safer, lower cost and more sustainable processes for lithium metal production using various grades of lithium carbonate feedstock, which the company produces in Argentina. These new capabilities will complement the company's existing process technologies for producing lithium metal at its Bessemer City site in North Carolina, USA, using concentrated lithium chloride from its Güemes facility in Salta, Argentina."

"This small but important acquisition gives us a platform to advance new and better process pathways for manufacturing lithium metal," said Paul Graves, president and chief executive officer of Arcadium Lithium. The ability to produce lithium metal from lithium carbonate will give us additional flexibility to utilize our vertically integrated network of assets while reducing the need for third-party lithium metal."

Again ... no shortage of Carbonate in the USA ... coming from Arcadium's existing brine production and carbonate from Argentina.

But more interesting is Arcadium is now getting into the Lithium ANODE business



We'll see how that commercialization strategy plays out