Announcement • 5h
Rock Tech Lithium Inc Receives $262,500 from Ontario Critical Minerals Innovation Fund to Advance Made-In-Ontario Lithium Supply Chain
Ontario's Critical Minerals Innovation Fund has awarded Rock Tech Lithium Inc. CAD 262,500 to evaluate and validate the use of locally-sourced crude tall oil, a by-product of Ontario's pulp and paper sector, as a potential flotation reagent for lithium processing, supporting supply chain development and cross-sector collaboration. The project will be completed in collaboration with Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper and Queen's University, bringing together Ontario-based industrial supply, critical minerals development and research expertise. The project aims to connect Ontario's forestry and critical minerals sectors by creating a potential new market for forestry-derived products in lithium processing. The project is intended to evaluate whether locally sourced crude tall oil could support more localized reagent supply, provide data for future technical and economic optimization work and reduce reliance on imported or conventional processing inputs. The project is intended to evaluate whether locally sourced crude tall oil could, if successfully validated, support more localized and potentially lower-emission battery and critical minerals supply chains, including supply chains relevant to advanced manufacturing and energy storage applications, support future technical and economic optimization work and reduce reliance on imported or conventional processing inputs. The initiative supports Rock Tech Lithium Inc.'s broader Ontario mine-to-converter strategy, including the Georgia Lake Lithium Project and the proposed Red Rock Lithium Converter, strengthening a made-in-Ontario critical minerals supply chain while creating new opportunities across multiple sectors of the provincial economy. This marks Rock Tech Lithium Inc.'s second CMIF-supported initiative, following its previously announced ore sorting program, which identified a potential pathway to reduce future crushing and concentrator capital costs by up to 50% based on preliminary test work on representative Georgia Lake material and subject to further engineering, validation and integration into future technical studies. This project will also evaluate further opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce operating costs and strengthen the economics of the Georgia Lake Project. Rock Tech Lithium Inc. announced that it has been awarded CAD 262,500 through Ontario's Critical Minerals Innovation Fund to evaluate the use of crude tall oil, a by-product of Ontario's pulp and paper industry, as potentially locally sourced flotation reagent for lithium processing. Crude tall oil may have potential application in mineral flotation processes used during processing to separate lithium-bearing minerals from waste rock, with the objective of improving processing efficiency while supporting a more localized supply chain by leveraging a pulp and paper by-product. This by-product produced by Ontario's pulp and paper sector and could serve as a new way for Ontario's pulp and paper industry to monetize this output while enhancing the sustainability and affordability of lithium processing in Ontario, if successfully validated and incorporated into future project design. Similar to Rock Tech Lithium Inc.'s recently announced completion of its CMIF-supported ore sorting program, this project is designed to evaluate whether locally sourced crude tall oil could support future processing efficiency, reduce reliance on imported or conventional reagents and inform future cost-optimization work for the Georgia Lake Project. The project arrives at an important moment for Ontario's critical minerals sector, as the Province of Ontario has identified the development of domestic critical minerals supply chains as a strategic priority, including supply chains supporting advanced manufacturing and energy storage. The use of crude tall oil as a flotation reagent represents an opportunity to connect two strategically important Ontario industries. By evaluating whether a by-product from the province's forestry sector can be utilized in lithium processing, the project seeks to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of domestic critical minerals production while creating additional value from existing industrial supply chains. With support from the Province of Ontario through the CMIF, Rock Tech Lithium Inc. and its project partners will evaluate a practical innovation with direct commercial application. The initiative brings together public investment, industrial expertise, and research capacity to explore technologies that may improve competitiveness while supporting the development of cleaner and more efficient processing methods. The project also highlights the growing opportunity to strengthen ties between Ontario's natural resource sectors. By creating potential new demand for forestry-derived products within critical minerals processing, the initiative will support the province's industrial diversification, domestic supply chains, and economic prosperity. The project forms part of Rock Tech Lithium Inc.'s broader Ontario strategy, which includes the Georgia Lake Project and the proposed Red Rock Converter in Northwestern Ontario. Together, these projects are intended to support a vertically integrated, made-in-Ontario lithium supply chain linking domestic resource development with downstream processing capacity. As demand for battery materials continues to grow across North America and Europe, including supporting an expanding range of capabilities in the defence sector, innovative initiatives like this may help strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and long-term resilience of Ontario's critical minerals sector and broader economy.
