In a strategic move to enhance its vertically integrated lithium operations, U.S.-based Arcadium Lithium has acquired the lithium metal business of Canada’s Li-Metal for $11 million, the company announced on Friday. The acquisition includes Li-Metal’s intellectual property pertaining to a novel process that utilizes lithium carbonate instead of lithium chloride as feedstock for lithium metal production, a method anticipated to significantly reduce costs and environmental impact.
As part of the deal, Arcadium will also gain control of Li-Metal’s physical assets, including a pilot manufacturing plant located in Ontario, Canada. This acquisition aligns with Arcadium’s ongoing efforts to optimize its supply chain, as the company currently produces lithium carbonate from brine pools in Argentina and manufactures lithium metal at its Bessemer City facility in North Carolina, utilizing lithium chloride from its Guemes site in Salta, Argentina.
The shift to using lithium carbonate is expected to be more environmentally sustainable, as the traditional method of producing lithium metal from lithium chloride can generate up to 5 metric tonnes of toxic chloride gas per 1 tonne of lithium metal produced, according to Li-Metal.
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