Livium Secures Global Rights to Microwave Technology for Rare Earth Elements Extraction

Livium (ASX: LIT) has signed an agreement with the University of Melbourne to explore the use of microwave technology in the extraction of rare earth elements (REE) from metallurgical waste.

The company will fund the research with an initial investment of $65,000, which will increase to $250,000 once the University of Melbourne secures funding under Australia’s Economic Accelerator Ignite program for a prototype-scale microwave reactor and delivers initial REE product test results.

The partners are now working towards a binding intellectual property licencing agreement which will give Livium exclusive worldwide rights to commercialise the technology for the next 20 years.

Growing Global Demand

Livium managing director Simon Linge said the partnership represented a significant step in the company’s strategy to broaden its recycling capabilities and meet growing global demand for REEs.

“Many of our lithium-ion battery customers are currently exposed to REE waste and this project will allow us to secure the waste stream either directly to customers or for processing through technology,” he said.

“Securing exclusive access to the University of Melbourne’s microwave technology will allow us to expand our commercial offering and further cement our leadership in resource recovery and process innovation.”

Commercial REE Opportunity

Livium has identified REEs as a medium-term commercial opportunity against a global shift toward more diversified supply chains.

The company has strong connections to the REE end-of-life supply chain via its clean energy generation and e-mobility clients, and already performs similar extraction processes such as shredding, grinding, and separation.

Mr Linge said Livium would continue to actively assess other REE extraction technologies in Australia and overseas.

Promising Extraction Alternative

Microwave heating is emerging as a promising alternative for REE extraction due to its efficient, rapid, and sustainable heating transmission.

Where traditional processes rely on acid leaching, solvent extraction and ion-exchange, microwave technology can enhance chemical reactions and alter the morphology of minerals, key to selectively recovering REEs and other valuable metals such as copper, gold, vanadium and platinum group metals from metallurgical wastes.

Studies have found that microwave technology can deliver high recovery rates at low energy consumption levels, with lab test work producing recoveries of more than 95% neodymium and 80% praseodymium (potentially boosted to more than 90% with an oxidant).

The technology has also demonstrated excellent PGM recoveries of platinum, palladium, and rhodium.