Lithium Australia and Novonix both announce battery material progress

Lithium processing technology group Lithium Australia (ASX: LIT) and battery materials group Novonix (ASX: NVX) have announced separate advances in battery materials and lithium ion battery manufacture.

Novonix announced it has sold 500 tonnes of lithium-ion battery anode material to Samsung, while Lithium Australia announced a new battery venture to evaluate local manufacture.

Novonix will deliver the material to Samsung in 2020, sourced from Novonix’s PUREgraphite joint venture with engineering consultant Coulometrics.

PUREgraphite manufactures and sells high performance anode materials.

Meanwhile Lithium Australia is acting on its promise to establish a complete lithium ion supply chain from raw materials to recycling and manufacture by entering the Australian battery market.

The Perth company has formed a 50:50 joint venture with Chinese battery and energy storage specialist DLG Group, Soluna Australia, and has launched DLG’s Soluna batteries onto the Australian market.

Soluna will evaluate the feasibility of local manufacture of battery packs, which would join Lithium’s other value-added operations in processing, cathode production and battery recycling.

The parties will fast-track the adoption of VSPC Ltd’s proprietary cathode powders for use in DLG batteries, collaborate on R&D, and jointly provide materials and battery recycling solutions to the energy storage market.

VSPC is 100 per cent owned by Lithium Australia.

DLG has been testing VSPC’s cathode powders produced in its Brisbane pilot plant, principally lithium-ferro-phosphates, and has manufactured batteries in Shanghai using the product.

Lithium Australia’s managing director Adrian Griffin said: “We see great potential for energy storage in fringe-of-grid and off-grid applications as well as improvements in the utilisation of power from existing grids.”

Picture: Soluna

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