TIDMALK
RNS Number : 4833V
Alkemy Capital Investments PLC
04 December 2023
4 December 2023
Alkemy Capital Investments Plc
TVL Secures Strategic Technology and Vendor Partnerships,
Advancing Lithium Refinery Project
Alkemy Capital Investments plc (" Alkemy ") (ALK:LSE) (JV2:FRA)
and its wholly owned subsidiary Tees Valley Lithium (" TVL ") are
delighted to announce significant milestones in the development of
TVL's state-of-the-art lithium processing plant at the Wilton
International Chemicals Park in Teesside, North East England.
HIGHLIGHTS:
-- TVL has awarded preferred vendor status to industry-leaders
JordProxa and Eurodia Industrie SAS, marking a pivotal phase in
engineering and piloting for its Wilton lithium refinery.
-- TVL's Train 1 will implement the standard causticisation
processing for producing battery grade lithium chemicals, with
JordProxa as the chosen vendor for crystalliser technology. Trains
2, 3 and 4 will revolutionise lithium production with a low-carbon
electrochemical processing route, with Eurodia providing
cutting-edge electrochemical cells.
-- TVL's collaboration with Wave International as lead
engineering and technical partner has enabled a rigorous selection
of vendors, ensuring TVL is equipped with the most advanced and
reliable technologies in the market.
TVL is delighted to announce a pivotal milestone in its
Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) related activities for the
Wilton lithium refinery.
The completion of the technology selection process and the
awarding of preferred vendor status to two industry leaders -
JordProxa and Eurodia Industrie SAS - represent significant steps
forward in the project's development.
These achievements not only underscore TVL's dedication to
leveraging cutting-edge technology but also strengthen the project
through partnerships with industry-leading vendors. This progress
is instrumental in ensuring that TVL's refinery design is
innovative, sustainable and optimized for efficiency.
Located at the Wilton International Chemicals Park in Teesside,
UK, the home to chemical operations of Anglo American, SABIC and
Huntsman, TVL is at the forefront of developing low-carbon lithium
refining for the UK and European markets.
TVL's commitment to sustainability is exemplified by its
adoption of an electrochemical processing route. This
state-of-the-art technology, coupled with the utilisation of
offshore wind energy, positions TVL to become a global leader in
low-carbon lithium production, with the aspiration to achieve a
zero-waste operation.
Wave International's industry-leading lithium expertise has
enabled a comprehensive technical and commercial evaluation of
crucial technology packages, leading to the selection of additional
industry-leading partners, as follows:
-- JordProxa : Awarded preferred vendor status for the PLS
evaporator, Glauber's salt/anhydrous sodium sulphate, and lithium
hydroxide crystallisers. JordProxa will be key in establishing a
hydrometallurgical process island for Train 1.
-- Eurodia Industrie SAS : Recognised for their innovation in
electrochemical cells, Eurodia have been chosen as the preferred
vendor for Train 2, underlining TVL's commitment to cutting-edge
technology in lithium processing.
Ryan Hanrahan, CEO of Wave International commented:
"The award of these two packages is a key milestone as the
project moves to progress FEED activities for Train 1 and piloting
for Train 2. Through the testwork and detailed evaluations, we have
been able to demonstrate that the key process equipment will meet
the requirements of the flowsheet and enable production of an
ultra-pure lithium hydroxide monohydrate product."
Nipen Shah from Jord Proxa commented:
"JordProxa are pleased to be working with TVL and Wave
International. Our process technology for lithium hydroxide
crystallisation is perfectly suited to this project, and the
testwork to date has demonstrated excellent results. We look
forward to progressing towards a final commercial agreement for
what looks to be the UK's first large scale Lithium Hydroxide
processing facility."
Mathieu Bailly from Eurodia commented:
"Eurodia are pleased to see TVL as a company embracing
electrochemistry as a critical technology for next generation
lithium hydroxide processing. With our technology well proven in
many industries, the independent testwork done by TVL and other
work we have completed on lithium processing provides for a
low-risk technology solution for the project. We look forward to
progressing the piloting works and further demonstrating the high
purity product that can be produced from our equipment."
Vikki Jeckell, Director of Alkemy and Tees Valley Lithium
commented:
"We are delighted to announce today a significant milestone in
our journey. Awarding preferred vendor status to JordProxa and
Eurodia is not just a testament to our commitment to excellence,
but also a recognition of the innovative strides we are making in
the industry.
Our partnerships with these industry leaders reflect our
dedication to not only align with the best but also to drive
forward the standards of lithium refining. These collaborations are
pivotal in our mission to innovate and deliver sustainable,
efficient, and cutting-edge solutions in the field.
On behalf of the board, I extend our gratitude to our team,
partners, and stakeholders who have been instrumental in reaching
this milestone. We are excited about the future and look forward to
continuing our journey towards excellence in lithium refining."
TVL Train 1 - Crystalliser technology package award -
JordProxa
Train 1 utilises the standard causticisation process for the
production of lithium hydroxide monohydrate. The flowsheet
comprises conversion of various feedstocks if required, impurity
removal, evaporation, glauber's salt crystallisation, anhydrous
sodium sulphate crystallisation and multi-stage lithium hydroxide
crystallisation followed by product handling and bagging.
The Class 4 study completed by Wave International as the lead
process designer defined the crystallisation circuit parameters.
JordProxa have considered these parameters and completed
metallurgical testwork, producing high purity Lithium hydroxide
Monohydrate.
On this basis, a crystallisation process island has been
proposed which includes:
-- PLS evaporation;
-- Glauber's salt crystalliser;
-- Anhydrous sodium sulphate crystalliser; and
-- Multi-stage lithium hydroxide crystallisers.
The process island approach is a key aspect of the overall plant
design, simplifying the procurement activities and reducing
interface risk. This approach represents an evolution from what has
been achieved by the recent Australian plants and incorporates
significant learnings from those projects. This next generation of
crystalliser design will provide for significant technical
de-risking of TVL's project.
Based on the preferred vendor status, TVL Wave International and
JordProxa will work together towards a finalised commercial
contract including:
-- basic engineering and design (including modularisation);
-- process guarantees;
-- detailed manufacturing schedule including long lead milestones; and
-- further optimisation testwork and supply of pilot scale equipment.
The next phase of works planned is completion of basic
engineering design, which is a critical activity to underpin Front
End Engineering Design (FEED) for the balance of the plant and
infrastructure.
Design for a pilot plant is also underway, which will produce
sales and marketing samples to progress product qualification.
TVL Train 2 - Electrochemical cell package award - Eurodia
Industrie SAS
Train 2 utilises an electrochemical process to produce lithium
hydroxide from lithium sulphate or lithium carbonate. The front
half of the flowsheet is similar to the conventional process, with
some additional impurity removal stages ahead of the
electrochemical cells. The electrochemical cells use electricity
(instead of a chemical reagent) to separate lithium sulphate into
sulphuric acid and lithium hydroxide, which can then be
crystallised into lithium hydroxide monohydrate. A similar, but
simplified, crystallisation circuit is used for this final
step.
This approach is suited to a facility which has access to
abundant, cheap renewable energy and has the ESG benefits of:
-- removing the need for sodium hydroxide as a reagent (which is currently in high demand); and
-- removing anhydrous sodium sulphate as a bi-product
The sulphuric acid bi-product can either be concentrated and
used to digest alternative feedstocks (or used in other
low-specification applications) or converted to gypsum and used in
local industry. It is noted that gypsum is currently imported at
the adjacent PD Ports.
The separation of salts via electrochemical cells is a proven
technology in water treatment, with a number of large-scale plants
operating throughout Europe.
The Class 4 study by Wave International as the lead process
designer defined the electrochemical circuit parameters.
Metallurgical testwork was completed in parallel at two specialist
laboratories, including a membrane screening program in which
Eurodia membranes were compared to others by an independent
laboratory. This testwork independently showed the Eurodia
technology to have superior lithium recovery and sulphuric acid
quality and was a key factor in the technology selection.
Based on the preferred vendor status, TVL Wave International and
Eurodia will work together towards a finalised commercial contract
including:
-- Basic engineering and design;
-- Process guarantees;
-- Detailed manufacturing schedule including long lead milestones; and
-- Further optimisation testwork and supply of pilot scale cells.
TVL and Wave International are jointly finalising the technology
development framework for Train 2, with the next stage being the
completion of a pilot scale plant development. The supply of a
pilot scale cell and progression of basic engineering design will
be the next stages of engagement with Eurodia.
About Wave International
Wave International are a global consultancy firm, specialising
in critical metals, with over 20 years of experience in lithium
processing. Wave International are headquartered in Australia, with
local operations in the UK and the Netherlands.
Wave International have been instrumental in the development of
advanced Australian Lithium Hydroxide projects and are also
undertaking key roles in supporting the development of a number of
high profile proposed European lithium refineries.
About JordProxa
JordProxa delivers custom crystallisation and evaporation plant
and systems to produce ultra-pure battery chemicals.
As demand for lithium-ion batteries grows with the uptake of
electric vehicles, its crystalliser systems are playing a key role
in meeting the challenges of purity, sustainability and value.
About Eurodia Industrie SAS
The sooner the industry lessens its footprint, the further it
will map its future. As a global specialist in eco-efficient,
custom industrial processes for liquid purification, Eurodia is
already designing and building the solutions for this
future-proofed model.
The Eurodia Group's solutions serve to extract and purify
lithium salts from various raw materials and recover lithium and
other metals of interest (NMC / Ni Mn Co) for processes that
manufacture or recycle electric batteries.
Further information
For further information, please visit the Company's website:
www.alkemycapital.co.uk or www.teesvalleylithium.co.uk
-Ends-
Alkemy Capital Investments Plc Tel: 0207 317 0636
info@alkemycapital.co.uk
SI Capital Limited Tel: 0148 341 3500
VSA Capital Limited Tel: 0203 005 5000
ABOUT ALKEMY CAPITAL
Alkemy is seeking to establish independent and sustainable
lithium hydroxide production by developing lithium sulphate and
lithium hydroxide facilities in the UK and Australia.
Alkemy, through its wholly owned UK subsidiary Tees Valley
Lithium, has secured a 9.6 ha brownfields site with full planning
permission at the Wilton International Chemicals Park in Teesside,
a major UK Freeport, to build the UK's first and one of Europe's
largest lithium hydroxide processing facility.
Tees Valley Lithium has completed a Class 4 Feasibility Study
for its proposed lithium hydroxide refinery which will process
feedstock imported from various sources to produce 96,000 tonnes of
premium, low-carbon lithium hydroxide or an equivalent amount of
lithium carbonate annually, representing around 15% of Europe's
projected demand.
Alkemy, through its wholly owned Australian subsidiary Port
Hedland Lithium, has secured a 43.7 ha site at the Boodarie
strategic industry area, near Port Hedland, Western Australia to
build a world-class sustainable lithium sulphate refinery that will
provide reliable feedstock for Tees Valley Lithium's refinery.
Port Hedland Lithium has completed a Class 4 Feasibility Study
for its proposed lithium sulphate refinery, each train of which
will process spodumene concentrate to produce 40,000 tonnes of
lithium sulphate annually.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward--looking information. The
statements are based on reasonable assumptions and expectations of
management and Alkemy provides no assurance that actual events will
meet management's expectations. In certain cases, forward--looking
information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates",
"believes", "could", "estimates", "expects", "may", "shall",
"will", or "would". Although Alkemy believes the expectations
expressed in such forward--looking statements are based on
reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of
future performance and actual results or developments may differ
materially from those projected. In addition, factors that could
cause actual events to differ materially from the forward-looking
information stated herein include changes in market conditions,
changes in metal prices, general economic and political conditions,
environmental risks, and community and non-governmental actions.
Such factors will also affect whether Alkemy will ultimately
receive the benefits anticipated pursuant to relevant agreements.
This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of
the forward--looking statements. These and other factors should be
considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking information.
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