ADRIAN Griffin is set to become a veritable battery salesman after multi-faceted Lithium Australia signed a letter of intent with Chinese battery producer DLG Battery to supply and sell lithium-ion batteries in Australia.

Adrian Griffin and DLG’s Jefferey Wu

Details of the planned 50:50 Lithium Australia DLG business were scant, with the two “intend(ing) to complete the required planning” by June 30.

Meanwhile Lithium Australia will purchase “an initial battery inventory” through the issue to DLG of 12.5 million shares at the prevailing market price of A8c each.

DLG is described as “one of the ten largest battery manufacturers in China … (with) six development and manufacturing facilities there, as well as sales and support offices in the United States and Europe”.

It is said to develop and manufacture cylindrical LIB cells, packs and systems, producing not only lithium-iron-phosphate and lithium-nickelmanganese-cobalt battery cell types but also battery-management-system and pack technology.

“Having developed significant intellectual property (more than 50 issued patents), DLG sells products for use in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, energy storage systems, e-bikes and many other applications,” Lithium Australia said.

The two firms will also form a technology alliance aiming to fast track the commercialisation of cathode powders produced by a subsidiary of the ASX firm in Brisbane, with the aim being for the powders to be used in DLG batteries.

Lithium Australia started the current quarter with $9.3 million cash.

So far as ASX investors were concerned, the overall venture evidently sounds promising.

Shares in Lithium Australia were up 13% to 8.8c in late trade, capitalising the company at $41 million.

Ask Fuzzy: Recovering battery by-products
24 April 2019 – The Canberra Times | By Adrian Griffin, managing director Lithium Australia

Can the critical materials LIBs contain be retrieved effectively enough to provide commercial and environmental benefits?

Question: Can lithium-ion batteries be recycled?

Lithium Australia to double battery shredder’s capacity after 18.9% acquisition
09 April 2019 – S&P Global Market Intelligence

Lithium Australia NL plans to help double Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd.’s lithium-ion battery shredding capacity after acquiring an 18.9% stake in the company, according to Lithium Australia Managing Director Adrian Griffin, who said the aim is to provide feed for Lithium Australia’s recently recommissioned cathode pilot plant in Brisbane, Australia.

Pulverized batteries

Lithium Australia surges into lithium-ion battery recycling with Envirostream partnership
04 April 2019 – Small Caps |By Lorna Nicholas

Under the partnership between Lithium Australia and Envirostream, the parties will ensure critical battery metals from recycled batteries remain under Australian control.

Lithium Australia (ASX: LIT) has joined forces with the country’s leading lithium-ion battery recycling company Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd to develop methods of extracting critical metals from spent batteries.

Interview Adrian Griffin, Lithium Australia 121 Mining Investment Cape Town 2019

Presentation Lithium Australia 121 Mining Investment Cape Town 2019

Lithium Australia advances Youanmi in wake of encouraging field work

Rock sampling at the Youanmi project has identified values of up to 4.2% lithium oxide, with anomalous caesium and tantalum also present.

Disruptive battery technology developer Lithium Australia (ASX: LIT) is planning a drilling campaign at its Youanmi project in Western Australia after field work confirmed the presence of lepidolite-bearing pegmatites.

Lithium Australia progressing German Sadisdorf project at strategically opportune time
15 February 2019 – Proactive Investors Australia

Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) managing director Adrian Griffin speaks to Proactive Investors about development of the company’s wholly-owned Sadisdorf Lithium-Tin Project in Germany. Significant progress has been made with the proprietary SiLeach® process, which boosts the potential of the project and may enhance opportunity internationally.

Griffin also describes recent shifts in European energy policy and trends that reflect favourably for the integrated lithium producer.

Lithium Australia’s MD reviews progress throughout the supply chain in 2018
19 December 2018 – Proactive Investors Australia

Adrian Griffin, managing director of Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT), provides Proactive Investors with an overview of progress made throughout 2018 towards the company’s stated strategic goal of closing the loop on lithium supply.

Topics of discussion include exploration projects, the acquisition of VSPC Ltd and development of the SiLeach^® process for extracting lithium chemicals from mica, the production of both cathode and anode powders, development of the LieNA lithium extraction from spodumene process, and recycling works.

Speaking about the latter, Griffin says, “If you look at current processing technologies on a global basis, only [about 9%] of lithium ion batteries ever get back into the supply chain via recycling route and the rest go to landfill. In Australia, the proportion that gets back into the recycling chain is diminishing [currently around 2%]… the material in those lithium ion batteries has a grade that is about 100 times higher than an ore body that’s required to produce a battery in the first place. So it should be very cheap material.”