Century Lithium reports on testing with Saltworks and production of battery grade lithium
by CM staff
The increase in lithium grade and the Li:TDS ratio has positive implications for the size and costs of the lithium carbonate production portion.
VANCOUVER — Century Lithium Corp., reports testing results at Saltworks Technologies, Inc. in Richmond, Canada, and additional production of high-purity lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) using product solutions from the company’s Lithium Extraction Facility (Pilot Plant) in Amargosa Valley, Nevada, USA.
The solutions tested at Saltworks were derived from leaching of claystone from the company’s 100 per cent-owned Clayton Valley Lithium Project in Nevada; and processed at the Pilot Plant via direct lithium extraction (DLE) to produce an intermediate concentrated lithium solution (DLE eluent).
“It is very positive to see consistency in our high-purity, 99.87%, lithium carbonate product grades from our Pilot Plant this year” stated Bill Willoughby, President, and CEO of Century Lithium. “The highlight though, is the almost five-fold increase in lithium grade in the concentrated lithium solution generated at the Pilot Plant. This was achieved through collaboration with Koch Technology Solutions and their Li-ProTM system, and its integration into Century Lithium’s chloride-based leaching process.”
Saltworks has produced battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) from the DLE eluent produced at the pilot plant. These results show consistency in composition of both the DLE eluent produced by the pilot plant earlier in the year and the resulting Li2CO3 product produced by Saltworks, achieving 99.871 per cent content versus 99.875 per cent reported previously.
The increase in lithium (Li) grade and the Li:TDS ratio has positive implications for the size and costs of the lithium carbonate production portion of the lithium extraction process at the project. These higher values equate to a lower volume of solution to be treated and a proportionate decrease in the amount of water that must be removed (evaporated) prior to lithium carbonate precipitation. This will also affect the recycled solutions within the lithium carbonate production stage by reducing the volume of solutions moved in this stage and other leaching areas of the processing plant.
