Venari Minerals has achieved a key metallurgical milestone by producing 99.5% pure battery-grade lithium carbonate from its Red Mountain Project in Nevada, highlighting its potential as a domestic US lithium chemical source alongside valuable by-products.
- Production of 99.5% pure battery-grade lithium carbonate
- Red Mountain hosts 3Mt LCE inferred resource with high-grade zones
- Potential by-products include magnesium sulfate (Epsomite) and Strontium
- Test-work supports US domestic lithium chemical production
- Plans to optimise purity and recover strategic by-products
Battery-Grade Lithium Carbonate Achieved
Venari Minerals NL (ASX:VMS) has crossed a crucial technical threshold at its Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada by successfully producing lithium carbonate with a purity of 99.5%; the industry benchmark for battery-grade material. This milestone confirms that the sedimentary-hosted lithium mineralisation at Red Mountain can be processed into a high-value chemical product using established flowsheets, a notable advantage over many hard-rock lithium projects that require more complex downstream processing.
The test-work, conducted by Hazen Research using a composite drill core sample, involved sulfuric acid leaching, neutralisation, impurity removal, and lithium carbonate precipitation. The resulting product displayed a low impurity profile, with sodium and magnesium as the primary impurities targeted for further reduction in upcoming metallurgical programs.
Resource Scale and Strategic Importance
Red Mountain’s maiden inferred Mineral Resource Estimate stands at 500 million tonnes grading 1,139ppm lithium, equating to approximately 3 million tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE). This includes a higher-grade northern zone with 47.9Mt at 2,193ppm lithium, providing a compelling target for resource upgrading through planned in-fill drilling.
The project benefits from strong infrastructure, including proximity to a major highway, a high-voltage transmission line, and secured water rights, which are critical for lithium processing operations. These factors underpin the project’s potential as a domestic US source of battery-grade lithium chemicals, an increasingly strategic position amid surging lithium prices, with Shanghai Metal Market spot prices recently hitting US$22,752 per tonne for battery-grade lithium carbonate.
This latest metallurgical success builds on Venari’s recent maiden 3.03Mt LCE resource, reinforcing the project’s advancement towards commercial viability.
By-Product Opportunities in Magnesium and Strontium
Beyond lithium, the test-work identified promising by-product potential in magnesium sulfate (Epsomite) and Strontium. Magnesium, closely associated with lithium in the clay mineral hectorite, can be recovered as Epsomite through evaporation-cooling crystallisation. Epsomite commands prices between US$370 and US$430 per tonne in the US agricultural market, offering a valuable revenue stream alongside lithium.
Strontium, found in significant concentrations in the solid residue after lithium extraction, is 100% import-dependent in the US and is designated as a defence-related strategic metal under the National Defense Authorization Act 2023. Strontium carbonate trades at around US$2,466 per tonne on the Shanghai Metal Market. Venari is investigating separation methods such as gravity and flotation to recover Strontium, which could position Red Mountain as a rare domestic source for this critical material used in pyrotechnics and potentially nuclear batteries.
The company’s metallurgical test-work expansion will focus on optimising lithium purity, reducing reagent consumption, and assessing the feasibility and quality of these by-products, potentially incorporating them into future resource estimates and economic studies.
Technical Pathways and Next Steps
The current flowsheet leverages sulfuric acid leaching at 70°C, followed by neutralisation, impurity removal, and a two-stage lithium carbonate crystallisation process. Impurities such as sodium and magnesium, though low, are targeted for further reduction via ion-exchange and by-product extraction techniques.
Venari plans to continue beneficiation work to reduce acid consumption and explore alternative leaching methods to improve lithium recovery beyond the current 89%. The company is also progressing permitting for its next drilling campaign aimed at upgrading resource confidence in the high-grade northern zone.
This development aligns with the US Federal Government’s push to establish domestic critical mineral supply chains, reducing reliance on imports for lithium and strategic metals. Venari’s approach differentiates it from many ASX-listed lithium explorers by demonstrating downstream processing capability early in the project lifecycle and highlighting strategic by-product potential.
As Venari advances, the market will watch how successfully it can scale metallurgical processes and secure partnerships to capitalise on both lithium and its by-products, potentially easing US supply chain vulnerabilities.
Venari’s recent metallurgical upgrades and drilling results further underpin the project’s momentum and technical credibility.
Bottom Line?
Venari’s proof-of-concept lithium carbonate production at Red Mountain marks a technical leap, but the path to commercial scale and by-product recovery remains to be proven.
Questions in the middle?
- Can Venari reduce sodium and magnesium impurities to meet stringent lithium chemical standards?
- What are the technical and economic challenges in recovering Epsomite and Strontium at scale?
- How will US government policies and incentives influence Venari’s project development timeline?