Rock Tech Lithium Awarded $262,500 from Ontario’s Critical Minerals Innovation Fund to Advance Made-in-Ontario Lithium Supply Chain
CMIF-supported project with Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper and Queen’s University to evaluate locally sourced crude tall oil as a potential flotation reagent for lithium processing
- Ontario’s Critical Minerals Innovation Fund has awarded Rock Tech $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’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’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.
TORONTO, July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ – Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (“Rock Tech” or the “Company”) (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $262,500 through Ontario’s Critical Minerals Innovation Fund (“CMIF”) 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’s recently announced completion of its CMIF-supported ore sorting program (refer to Press Release – Rock Tech Advances Georgia Lake Lithium Project, Identifies Potential Pathway to Reduce Processing CAPEX by Up to 50 per cent, dated May 19, 2026), 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.
Strengthening Ontario’s Critical Minerals Supply Chain Through Innovation
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.1
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.
Mirco Wojnarowicz, CEO of Rock Tech, said;
We’re proud to have the continued support of the Government of Ontario through this latest intake of the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund,
“The future of critical minerals competitiveness will be driven not only by what we mine, but by how we process and innovate. This project brings together Ontario’s strengths in critical minerals, forestry, and research to evaluate a practical solution that could reduce emissions, strengthen project economics and create new opportunities for domestic industry. It demonstrates how innovation can help build a more resilient critical minerals supply chain – here in Canada and among allied countries.”
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Rock Tech Lithium Awarded $262,500 from Ontario’s Critical Minerals Innovation Fund to Advance Made-in-Ontario Lithium Supply Chain, source
