Lithium Tool
Lithium Value Chain Decision Tool

A modular techno-economic and emissions modelling platform for comparing lithium extraction, processing, transport, and export pathways across brine and hard-rock supply chains.

Explore Open Access Tool

Designed for lithium processing and value-addition analysis

The Lithium Tool evaluates cost, energy use, emissions intensity, and logistics performance across lithium brine, spodumene, lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, rail, and shipping pathways. It supports baseline and custom scenario comparison for early-stage project screening, value-addition analysis, and low-carbon supply-chain planning.
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What the tool evaluates

Brine extraction

Models brine wellfield delivery, production wells, gathering pipelines, clarification, pumping, buffer storage, and plant handoff.

Spodumene extraction

Evaluates open-pit mining, crushing, grinding, flotation, dewatering, tailings, and SC6 concentrate delivery.

Brine to Li₂CO₃

Assesses lithium carbonate production from brine, including evaporation, purification, crystallisation, CAPEX, OPEX, and emissions.

Brine to LiOH

Evaluates lithium hydroxide production from brine with cost, energy, emissions, reagent, and process-flow outputs.

Spodumene to Li₂CO₃

Models lithium carbonate production from spodumene, including calcination, roasting, leaching, purification, and product recovery.

Spodumene to LiOH

Assesses lithium hydroxide production from spodumene with annual production, levelised cost, energy intensity, and carbon intensity outputs.

Rail transport

Compares diesel, electric, battery-electric, and hydrogen rail options for final products, brine, spodumene, and intermediates.

Shipping pathways

Evaluates maritime transport routes, vessel types, fuels, port handling, canal use, and export-pathway cost and emissions.

Key Outputs

The Lithium Tool converts pathway assumptions into decision-ready outputs for comparing lithium product cost, emissions intensity, energy use, material flows, and logistics performance.

  1. Levelised cost by extraction, processing, rail, and shipping module.
  2. Emissions intensity by process stage and transport pathway.
  3. Annual CAPEX, OPEX, energy consumption, and emissions outputs
  4. Product-level results for Li₂CO₃, LiOH, SC6, and lithium-equivalent bases.
  5. Baseline versus custom scenario comparison.
  6. Cost and emissions waterfall charts.
  7. Rail and shipping route sensitivity.
  8. Upstream-to-export handoff summaries.

Use Cases

The Lithium Tool supports early-stage screening, processing route comparison, value-addition analysis, and low-carbon export strategy development.

Processing Route Comparison

Compare brine and spodumene pathways for lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide production on a consistent cost and emissions basis.

Value-addition Planning

Assess whether domestic processing, refining, and product upgrading can improve competitiveness, market access, and investment readiness.

Export Pathway Assessment

Evaluate how rail distance, shipping route, fuel choice, port handling, and destination market affect delivered cost and emissions.

Developed by UNSW Green Minerals Team

The copper tool is developed through UNSW research expertise in minerals engineering, techno-economic modelling, emissions accounting, and industrial decarbonisation.

Rasmeet Singh
Lead Developer & PhD Candidate, MERE UNSW
A.Prof Rahman Daiyan
Scientia Associate Professor & ARC DECRA Fellow, MERE UNSW
Dr Muhammad Haider Ali Khan
Research Associate, MERE UNSW

Interested in applying our tools to your project?

Talk to us about project scoping, pathway comparison, research collaboration, or decision-support tool development.

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