Rock Tech Lithium to collaborate with Fraunhofer Institute and Circulor
by CM Staff
Fraunhofer supports Rock Tech in recording all material and energy flows and calculating the life cycle assessment of processes along the entire value chain.
VANCOUVER — Rock Tech Lithium Inc. announces that it will collaborate with the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT and Circulor, a UK-based sustainable supply chain traceability provider, to achieve comprehensive CO2 transparency of Rock Tech’s lithium value chain – from the raw material, spodumene, to the end product, lithium hydroxide.
Rock Tech, which plans to supply lithium hydroxide to manufacturers of batteries for electric cars from 2024, recently published plans for the first European lithium hydroxide factory (Converter) in Brandenburg, Germany. The Company aims for this Converter to become the first in the industry to achieve CO2 neutrality and a closed material cycle for both lithium and valuable by-products.
With Fraunhofer and Circulor both possessing a clear focus on sustainability and responsible sourcing, this collaboration hopes to help Rock Tech to make a significant contribution to a holistic view of the ecological footprint of electric cars.
Markus Brügmann, CEO of Rock Tech Lithium commented: “A holistic documentation of our value chain will allow us to provide information about the origin and environmental balance of our lithium hydroxide, creating a decisive added value for our customers.”
Fraunhofer supports Rock Tech in recording all material and energy flows and calculating the life cycle assessment of processes along the entire value chain. This starts with the raw material itself and ends with the delivery of the high-quality lithium hydroxide to customers. Based on the data obtained, Rock Tech intends to further optimize the production process already in the planning phase – with the aim of reducing energy requirements as much as possible.
According to Dr. Ilka Gehrke, head of the Environment and Resource Utilization department at Fraunhofer, “Extensive collection and analysis of their data not only allows Rock Tech to design the production of lithium hydroxide more sustainably, but also supports them in implementing subsequent process optimizations in the most energy and environmentally friendly way possible.”
