According to Wood Mackenzie, the Atlantic Copper smelter is one of the world's most efficient in terms of energy consumption per unit of copper in concentrate.
The LME is planning a lithium contract, and in June selected Fastmarkets to provide a reference price, but has given no timeline for an official launch.
Opinion: Mining companies are generally quite good at promoting social projects undertaken in the communities in which they operate, but full disclosure could show how much the mining companies' support was compared to the total income of these communities.
Technologies such as autonomous rail-cars and increased automation can lower the impact of the industry on the environment as well as raise profit margins, the company said.
Sandvik said last year it was evaluating options for the business, which it bought in 2014 for $740 million and was part of its mining and rock technology unit.