This Week (5.26-5.3): Overseas Lithium News [SMM Weekly Overseas New Energy News]

[E3 Lithium and Pure Lithium Corporation Report Results from Phase 1 of Joint Development Agreement for Lithium Metal Batteries]

E3 Lithium, a leader in Canada's lithium industry, announced preliminary results of battery cells manufactured under a joint development agreement with Pure Lithium Corporation, utilizing E3 Lithium's brine and Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology, along with Pure Lithium's innovative extraction and battery technologies.

As announced on March 13, 2025, several variants of lithium chloride concentrate, reflected at specific points in E3 Lithium's process flowsheet for commercial facility design, were used to manufacture lithium metal anodes at Pure Lithium's facility in Boston. Concentrated lithium chloride from E3 Lithium was electrodeposited as pure lithium metal onto a copper substrate, forming complete, ready-to-use anodes. These anodes were subsequently assembled into batteries by Pure Lithium, and their electrochemical performance in full cells was evaluated. Notable results include:

• Lithium Metal Purity: Various E3 brine streams achieved very high purity levels, with ICP-OES analysis showing purity exceeding 99.9%. • Battery Performance (Life Cycle): This test examined the number of charge-discharge cycles the battery could complete while maintaining 80% capacity. All batteries have so far achieved over 500 cycles.

• Charge-Discharge Rate: This test examined the time required for charging and discharging. These tests were conducted at a 1C:1D ratio, meaning one hour of charging time and one hour of discharging time.

The results of this study indicate that E3's easily produced version of lithium concentrates provides the most cost-effective raw material for Pure Lithium's batteries. It also demonstrates the robustness of Pure Lithium's process, with no performance difference between batteries manufactured using lithium chloride from E3's Leduc brine and those manufactured using Pure Lithium's standard sources. The two companies continue to collaborate on developing and planning an integrated process to provide the highest purity lithium metal anodes at the lowest cost.

Source: Company Announcement

[Nigeria to Open Two China-Backed Lithium Processing Plants This Year]

Nigeria's Minister of Mines and Steel Development announced on Sunday that the country will commission two major lithium processing plants this year, marking a shift from exporting raw materials to domestic value addition.

These facilities, primarily funded by Chinese investors, could help transform Nigeria's abundant mineral resources into job opportunities, technology, and growth in domestic manufacturing.

Minister Dele Alake stated that a $600 million lithium processing plant located near the Kaduna-Niger border is scheduled to commence operations this quarter, while a $200 million lithium refinery on the outskirts of Abuja is nearing completion.

The minister also stated that two more processing plants are expected to be established in Nasarawa State, near the capital Abuja, before Q3 2025.

"We are now focused on converting our mineral wealth into domestic economic value—jobs, technology, and manufacturing," Alake said.

According to a separate statement from the governor of the state where the plants are located, over 80% of the funding for these four plants was provided by Chinese companies, including Jiuling Lithium and Canmax.

The remaining shares are held by a local investor, Crown Mine.

The Chinese companies have not yet commented immediately. The initiative to promote domestic processing stems from a study conducted by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency in 2022, which found significant high-grade lithium ore deposits in six Nigerian states, attracting widespread international attention.

These developments are part of Nigeria's broader reforms in its underdeveloped mining sector, which currently contributes less than 1% to the country's GDP.

Other reform measures include restricting the export of unprocessed minerals, formalizing artisanal mining operations, which account for the majority of current mining activities, and establishing a state-owned miner in which investors can hold up to 75% of the shares.

Source: Publicly available information on the internet