Mining's war on waste turns scraps into batteries and fertiliser...

Mining's war on waste turns scraps into batteries and fertiliser

WA Country Hour
Jon Daly

from http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-04-11/mining-war-on-waste-turns-scraps-into-fertliser/9634720

Virtual Curtain was used to treat 56 megalitres of contaminated water at the Baal Gammon mine site in Queensland.
(Supplied: CSIRO)
Australia's mining industry is waging war on its biggest burden: waste.

ABC Rural knows of several projects around Australia where toxic waste is being turned into valuable products, such as batteries and fertiliser.

Other companies are finding ways to recycle contaminated mine water and make a profit from processing residue.
Fully-charged fertiliser


Lepidico has tested L-Max in its mini-trial plant in Welshpool, WA.
(Supplied: Lepidico)
ASX-listed Lepidico is using its L-Max technology to turn lithium mine waste into battery-grade lithium and potash.

Lepidico director of exploration Tom Dukovcic said it was both sustainable and profitable.
"The beauty of the L-Max process is that we not only produce chemicals for the lithium market from a non-conventional source, we also produce a suite of by-products that effectively utilise all the chemistry and all the metal content," he said.

"There's a growing demand globally to feed a growing world population.
"To the same extent there is an ever-growing demand for batteries, not just in electric vehicles but also in battery storage."

L-Max works by dissolving crushed lithium mine waste, called lepidolite, in heated sulfuric acid.
The process produces 99.98 percent pure lithium carbonate and a lot of potassium sulphate, according to Mr Dukovcic.

"The next stage now is to take the process to the next level and demonstrate its viability on a commercial scale," he said.

"We're now planning to build our first commercial scale plant in Sudbury, Canada, to demonstrate the process ahead of building a full-scale plant."

Mr Dukovcic said the company had flagged Townsville as a possible location for the full-scale plant, due to its deep port and proximity to key Asian markets.