Dual-listed Patriot Battery Metals has successfully produced a marketable and on-specification battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate sample from spodumene concentrate sourced from its CV5 pegmatite in Quebec.

This marks a significant step in the company’s efforts to develop its Shaakichiuwaanaan property in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region.

The CV5 pegmatite forms a large portion of the company’s consolidated mineral resource estimate of 80.1-million tonnes at 1.44% lithium oxide (Li₂O) indicated and 62.5-million tonnes at  1.31% Li₂O inferred.

The recent successful production of a 307 g sample of battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate was achieved using spodumene concentrate (6.2% Li₂O, 0.6% Fe₂O₃) extracted from the CV5 pegmatite. The testwork was conducted at SGS Canada's Lakefield facility in Ontario using a bench-scale equivalent of a typical commercial process flowsheet.

The primary goal of the test programme was to validate the "proof-of-concept" for the entire downstream process using representative spodumene concentrate from CV5. The results were successful, with the process converting the spodumene concentrate into a lithium hydroxide monohydrate product that met battery-grade specifications. This outcome also supports previous testwork by other independent parties, further validating the potential of the CV5 resource.

President and CEO Ken Brinsden highlighted the importance of the successful test in de-risking the project.

“Not all spodumene concentrates are created equal, and by demonstrating that the high-quality, low-iron spodumene concentrate produced from CV5 results in a marketable and on-spec battery-grade lithium hydroxide product, we are further validating and de-risking the project as we eventually look to capitalise on this high-value downstream product category,” he said.

“While we are focused on advancing CV5 to production using a simple DMS-only flowsheet to produce a high-quality spodumene concentrate, it is important to look beyond and from the viewpoint of the end-user of the downstream product.”