Research & Development

We have invested heavily in ongoing metallurgical test work and process design and are world leaders in recovery of lithium from micas, such as those we have discovered in Cornwall.

Our work on Cornish lithium micas began in 2016 and continues today at our dedicated lithium pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical laboratory and our lithium pilot plant in Cornwall. Imerys British Lithium is the only lithium project developer in the UK to have its own, in-house metallurgical research facilities and owns and operates Europe’s only integrated end-to-end lithium pilot plant.

Battery grade lithium has never been produced from these unconventional micas – hence our focus on research and development, including on our novel technology.

We have over a dozen UK and International patents pending to protect our sustainable process, and our policy is to aggressively defend our proprietary technology.