Co-production of Lithium and China Clay in Cornwall - CLiCCC

The China Clay (or kaolin) industry in Cornwall has been in operation for nearly 275 years since its discovery and was once a mainstay of UK industry, producing raw materials for Britain's potteries and paper industry. English China Clays was once a household name in Britain and was formerly the world's largest producer of china clay, before being sold to French company Imerys in 1999. The industry still forms a significant part of UK primary industry, employing over 750 people in mid-Cornwall and contributing £92m/year into the Cornish economy (Imerys statistics July 2020). Unfortunately, the china clay industry has long been in decline due to reducing demand for printing and writing papers and the emergence of competing kaolin sources and other minerals overseas.

China clay in Cornwall is largely sourced from decomposed granite, a rock that also contains lithium minerals in the form of lithium mica. The lithium potential of the china clay region in Cornwall was outlined in a British Geological Survey (BGS) report of 1987 and the possibility of lithium extraction from this source is currently being evaluated by Cornish Lithium Ltd -- the lead partner in this grant application.

The project consortium will include Imerys, Cornish Lithium and HSSMI and aims to enhance resilience of the Cornish china clay industry by evaluating the economic viability of extracting lithium from minerals that occur in the same rock as china clay -- thus increasing the resource efficiency of the mined rock, making this vital Cornish industry more internationally competitive and securing a domestic supply of lithium that is vital to the transition to renewable energy and a zero-carbon economy. This project takes an innovative approach to evaluating cutting-edge lithium extraction techniques and developing new processes to align co-production of lithium with Imerys' current kaolin production, demonstrating the commercial possibility to produce a vital new metal for the UK whilst making the Foundation Industry more resilient.

Lithium is critical due to its vital importance in the transition to renewable energy/zero-carbon economy. The UK aspires to be a leader in battery and electric vehicle (EV) production and technology but faces a major hurdle given that there is no secure domestic supply of lithium for battery manufacture: an issue noted recently by the Prime Minister. Co-production of lithium from minerals found in china clay waste (current and historic material) will increase resource efficiency by reducing waste and generating additional revenue sources.