Following the extraction of spodumene from the ground, it must be concentrated and then transported to a processing plant. Currently, only one production plant is under development in Quebec: Nemaska Lithium’s plant located in Bécancour, which produces lithium hydroxide. Otherwise, the product is shipped to China, where further processing can take place.
Subsequently, the product is purchased by battery manufacturers who will sell it for use in vehicles, energy storage, and other applications. The figure below, included in Winsome’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Adina Lithium project, illustrates the steps involved in the development and use of lithium compounds:
The lithium concentration process is primarily mechanical. The high density of spodumene is used to separate it from other minerals present in the pegmatite, a process known as dense-media separation. The final concentrate contains approximately 5 to 7% lithium.
The Environmental Impact of Lithium Extraction
The two sources of lithium (hard rock and brine) have very different environmental impacts due to their extraction processes and the environmental/geological context in which the different forms of lithium are found. It is important to note that there is no brine source in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James.
Lithium extraction from pegmatites – the method envisioned by Winsome – offers several advantages, including lower water consumption compared to brine extraction.
Once the ore is extracted, it is crushed and screened to separate the material that will eventually become lithium or one of its derivatives. The techniques used in this process are quite simple, and the parameters are easy to control. Mining operations, whether open-pit or underground depending on the depth of the resource, result in landscape disruption and habitat loss for the mine’s lifetime before the site is rehabilitated (a requirement in Quebec and Canada). In short, the potential environmental impacts associated with lithium extraction are similar to those of any other mining project: temporary habitat loss, greenhouse gas emissions, dust, and water quality. These potential environmental impacts are managed according to their risk level in order to reduce or even avoid them where possible, and above all, to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
Opportunities for Recycling, Recovery, and Circularity
Just as sustainable development has become a major focus in the mining industry in recent years, enabling mining companies to translate their environmental and social commitments into concrete actions on the ground, the principles of the circular economy are central to the battery sector and to critical and strategic minerals in the race towards net-zero emissions by 2050.
95% of a lithium-ion battery can be recycled into new batteries. The metals used, including lithium, retain their value once the battery is obsolete, allowing storage facilities to recycle them. This has been the case in Canada since 2012, and on a large scale, thus avoiding the risk of contamination in landfills (RNC, 2025).