As part of the prefeasibility study currently underway, the company has confirmed it will use sulphuric acid leach to extract lithium and boron from crushed rock into a pregnant leach solution.

The company said it was a similar process to acid leaching used in oxide copper mines.

The use of mechanical evaporators to concentrate the pregnant leach solution will result in substantial water savings.

The boric acid product is then further refined by flotation and recrystallisation to produce high-quality boric acid.

Further evaporation and concentration of the leach solution will remove the remaining impurities via precipitation and ion exchange, followed by precipitation of lithium carbonate.

The site layout has been designed, with a total surface disturbance footprint of less than one square mile, or 640 acres.

The smaller footprint means the project is only likely to require an environmental assessment, rather than a full environmental impact statement.

Global Geoscience is due to release the full PFS in the September quarter, along with environmental baseline studies.

If the project qualifies for an environmental assessment, the process could be completed within 6-9 months.

Using that timeline, the company is aiming to release a definitive feasibility study early in the second half of next year, followed by financing later that year, and construction in 2020.

Rhyolite Ridge could be in production in the first half of 2021.

Shares in Global Geoscience rose by half a cent to A45.5c in morning trade, valuing the company at more than $600 million.