Posted on 25 Aug 2023
Canada’s E3 Lithium announced Wednesday it has successfully produced the first lithium carbonate from its Clearwater project area in Central Alberta, Kallanish learns.
The firm conducted the test work, which used concentrate generated from brines located in the Clearwater project area near Leduc, to validate the downstream flowsheet ahead of the upcoming pre-feasibility study. The test objectives also included generating the data needed for engineering design purposes, as well as, for producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM).
The test involved treating a sample of the concentrate (or eluate) produced by the direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. After coarse purification and concentration phases, E3 has now converted the eluate into lithium carbonate, the company said in a statement.
The final step will involve additional downstream polishing to get the desired purity, before converting the carbonate into battery-grade LHM. Once the plant creates more concentrate, the company will focus on producing more carbonate and LHM for commercial development.
Chris Doornbos, president and ceo of E3 Lithium, calls the production of high-quality lithium carbonate an “incredibly exciting milestone” for the firm. “While downstream lithium refining processes are already commercially operating, demonstrating the success of these processes on E3 Lithium’s brine provides more certainty for our commercial processes,” the top executive adds.
The Alberta-based firm is aiming to produce 20,000 tonnes/year of battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate for 20 years from the Alberta lithium brine project. While it is anticipating to release a pre-feasibility study for the project by the end of this year, commercial lithium brine operations are expected to begin in 2026.
Commissioning work is underway for its DLE field pilot plant at Olds, Alberta. Operations are expected to start “soon,” the firm adds.
Source:Kallanish
