THE boss of a lithium mining company in the Clay Country in Cornwall has hailed a “once-in-a-generation” breakthrough.

Cornish Lithium, based at a former china clay pit near St Dennis, has announced it has become the first company in the UK to produce refined lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) from lithium extracted from granite.

The LHM, which is needed for use in electric vehicle batteries, has been produced at the firm’s Trelavour Demonstration Plant.

Cornish Lithium chief executive Jamie Airnes said: “This is a watershed moment for the UK’s industrial capabilities and economic resilience. For the first time ever as a country, we have now demonstrated the ability to produce one of the raw materials on which we all increasingly rely. It is testament to the strength of our research, our innovative approach and the dedication of the Cornish Lithium team.

“This once-in-a-generation breakthrough marks the latest stage in Cornish Lithium’s journey to secure a domestic supply of lithium for the UK automotive and battery industries, securing the UK’s future jobs, lithium supply chain and economic growth.”

A spokesperson for the company said: “LHM is a key raw material for lithium-ion batteries which form the foundations of nearly all modern-day electronics on which we all rely – from electric vehicles and smartphones to energy storage and drone technology.

“Cornwall is home to the largest lithium deposits in Europe and has enough lithium to power at least 50 per cent of all electric vehicles expected to be produced in the UK by 2030. This announcement marks a major advance in UK industrial capability that will help secure a domestic supply of a key material for UK industry.”

The custom-built demonstration facility, launched last year, incorporates all processing stages from crushing and grinding the rock, to separation of the lithium-bearing minerals and processing of these minerals to produce a refined lithium hydroxide monohydrate.

Early this year, Cornish Lithium acquired full intellectual property and associated patents from Australian company Lepidico regarding the process.

The spokesperson said: “The Lepidico process has been shown to be highly effective and has now been fully optimised by improvements made at the demonstration plant. Cornish Lithium plans to market the technology internationally given the success that has been achieved in recent months.

“Following the success of the demonstration plant, Cornish Lithium plans to build a full-scale lithium processing and refining plant with an annual capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes of LHM, which is expected to commence full-scale production in 2029.

“Cornish Lithium has launched a new crowdfunding campaign to allow Cornish Lithium’s wider community of shareholders and supporters the chance to invest in the next stage of growth. The campaign is hosted on the Crowdcube investment platform. Investors will have the opportunity to be part of an innovative greentech company that plans to create 300 jobs and contribute significantly to the local economy.

“Capital raised through the crowdfunding campaign will be used together with £35-million of recent equity funding to advance the company’s projects to the next stage of development and accelerate the journey towards commercial production.”