Ever wondered why some lithium hard rock companies are producing SC6 and others a product containing less lithium (SC5.5, etc.)? Here's why whilst I sip my morning coffee (the crema is amazing today). $PLS - SC5.5 $AKE - SC5.3 $MIN - SC6.0 First, understand that there are specifications set by converters that spodumene hard rock producers need to meet depending on how their product is graded. There are two main grades of spodumene concentrate: 1.) Chemical 2.) Technical A lot of people don't realise this but technical grade concentrate is more strict than chemical. Funnily enough, technical grade is used in glass and ceramics, and chemical is used for battery applications. I believe the current specifications (what is preferred by converters) for each grade are as follows: Chemical - (<0.8% Fe2O3, SC5.0-SC6.0) Technical - (0.15% to 0.5% Fe2O3, >SC6.5) Fe2O3 is iron oxide Li2O is lithium oxide It really is a balancing act between the recovery rates and meeting the above specifications. You could produce SC6 but if your waste content (iron, mica, etc.) is high, your recoveries are going to fall through the floor. Example: Say you've got a deposit that's li2O is 1.0%, 1.2% Fe2O3, a recovery rate of 75%. If you want to get SC6 and meet the specifications, you're going to need 8 tonnes of ore and you're going to have to deal with 9.6% Fe2O3!! An expensive process. Compare that with a company that has 1.5% li2O, 0.6% Fe2O3 and a recovery rate of 75%. They need 5.3 tonnes of ore to achieve SC6 and only have to deal with 3.2% Fe2O3... So companies will produce a product that gives them the most volume whilst still meeting the specifications. I should add that converters can still accept ore outside of these specs, but the high iron content will produce "clinkers" when they roast the spod at 1080degrees (a step in converting to hydroxide) which are difficult and costly to remove. Summary: Waste content (iron, mica, etc.) is extremely important for lithium miners! Make sure you study the met work before investing. No two deposits are equal. Thanks for reading!
Forgot to mention the Mica content is generally acceptable at <1%. Someone like @RodneyHooper13 may be able to confirm this though.
@sparkes_dwayne Are you going to share the name of the barista that inspires you to think about spodumene concentrate levels first thing in the morning? 🙂
@sparkes_dwayne About time someone understands how it works
@sparkes_dwayne Just to correct you Greenbushes is the only mine which produces a 6% these days. MIN switched to a 5.5 at Wodgina a qtr or 2 ago and at they Mt Marion produce a dual product stream: 3-4% + 5%. PLS averaged 5.3 in FY23.