A new spodumene processing method has led to 90% recovery of lithium and 30% aluminium, Medaro Mining and joint venture partner Global Lithium Extraction Technologies said.

The thermochemical solvent extraction technique results in lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide from several types of spodumene concentrates.

The process requires only spodumene concentrate; high-purity carbon dioxide which is consumed when producing lithium carbonite and lithium oxide; and water, which is used in the production of lithium hydroxide.

The process also produces aluminium hydroxide and amorphous silica.

The JV will develop final stage processing steps to separate the remaining lithium and aluminium out of the spodumene, after initial processing. The JV works out of Galbraith Labs in Tennessee.

This method eliminates the need for conventional sulfuric acid leaching, Medaro said, and is modular and highly scalable. Operations can be run entirely on green electricity, and results in little environmental waste, executive James Blencoe said.

"It is highly likely that the technology will lower spodumene processing costs by 30 to 50% or more," Blencoe said, meaning that lithium recovery from spodumene would be more competitive than extracting lithium from brines.

The process can also be applied to the extraction of lithium from claystones.