20.03.2024
CleanTech Lithium PLC
("CleanTech Lithium" or the "Company")
Pilot Plant Commences
Operation with First Lithium Chloride Eluate
Produced
CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL,
Frankfurt: T2N, OTCQX: CTLHF), an exploration and development
company advancing lithium projects in
Chile, announces that the operation of the Company´s pilot plant
has commenced and is producing lithium chloride eluate from the
Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process.
Pilot Plant Highlights:
· Commissioning
phase of DLE pilot plant completed and operation
underway
· Brine from the
Laguna Verde project is being fed into DLE columns where lithium
chloride is extracted onto the adsorbent, before desorption with
water to create a purified lithium chloride eluate
· First production
of eluate was completed in the past week
· A reverse osmosis
unit at the pilot plant will be used to concentrate the
eluate
· The pilot plant
has a design capacity of 1 tonne per month lithium carbonate
equivalent (LCE) as concentrated eluate
· The concentrated
eluate will be shipped in batches to North America for conversion
into battery-grade lithium carbonate
· The Company will
determine the appropriate volume of each batch based on end user
requirements and conversion cost considerations
· The Company has
engaged Conductive Energy for the conversion, utilising standard
industry processing steps
· The pilot plant
will be used for process optimisation and product verification and
will provide important input into the Pre-feasibility study (PFS)
currently underway for the project
· Operation of the
pilot plant will place CTL among a small number of companies in the
lithium exploration sector to produce meaningful quantities of
battery grade product at pilot scale
· Samples of the
product will be made available to potential strategic partners such
as major auto and battery manufacturers, in preparation for
off-take agreements
Commenting, Aldo Boitano, Chief Executive Officer, of
CleanTech Lithium PLC, said:
"I
am very pleased to inform the market that our pilot plant has
commenced operation with the first volume of lithium chloride
eluate produced. Batches of concentrated eluate will be shipped to
North America to be converted into battery grade lithium carbonate
by a third-party processor. This pilot plant plans to produce
significant quantities of battery grade product for evaluation by
potential strategic partners, making CTL one of the few companies
in the sector to produce pilot scale volumes of battery grade
product. The pilot plant positions CTL as a leader in the sector
and in Chile, with first eluate production representing a
significant milestone for the Company."
Further Information
The Company´s pilot plant, which is
located at the Company´s R&D Centre in
Copiapó, some 250km from Laguna Verde,
underwent an extended commissioning phase which is now completed.
Washing and adsorbent activation protocols were completed, and
filtering equipment and a reverse osmosis (RO) unit installed.
Brine from the Laguna Verde project is stored in a large 243,000
litre vessel outside the pilot plant, which is fed into an indoor
tank having passed through filtration to remove suspended solids.
It is then fed into the DLE columns shown in Figure 1, which are
filled with adsorbent designed to be selective for lithium
molecules. Lithium, as lithium chloride, is adsorbed from the
brine, before desorption with water to create a lithium chloride
eluate. DLE acts as a purification stage recovering lithium
chloride from the brine whilst rejecting more than 99% of other
impurities. First production of lithium chloride eluate was
completed in the past week.
A RO unit at the plant will be used
to concentrate the eluate, with the concentrated eluate to be
shipped to North America for the downstream conventional processing
stages and conversion into battery-grade lithium
carbonate.
Figure 1: Pilot Plant Multi-Valve
Feeding Brine to DLE Columns (approx. 2.5 metres high)
Downstream Processing into Battery-Grade Lithium
Carbonate
For the conversion of the
concentrated lithium chloride eluate into battery-grade lithium
carbonate, CTL has engaged Conductive Energy based in Alberta,
Canada, which has a conversion facility in Chicago, USA.
Concentrated eluate will be shipped in batches on a monthly basis
to this facility (see Figure 2). The first step will be to
further concentrate the eluate using Forward Osmosis (FO), with an
FO unit provided by Forward Water Technology, another Canadian
company based in Ontario. FO achieves a high concentration factor
with low energy use.
Figure 2: Conductive Energy -
Milling and Refining Equipment, Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor,
and Lithium Carbonate product in Chicago, USA (pictures left to
right)
Following FO, the conversion process
stages undertaken by Conductive Energy, involve polishing to remove
trace impurities, carbonation to precipitate lithium carbonate,
solid/liquid separation and drying. These standard industry
processes for lithium carbonate production are reflective of the
conversion process CTL plans to use at a commercial scale for the
Laguna Verde project. Samples of the lithium carbonate product will
be analysed by Conductive Energy and a third-party independent
laboratory to confirm the benchmark of 99.5%
Li2CO3 is achieved for battery-grade lithium
carbonate. The product will be packaged for shipping to potential
strategic partners and off-takers for product verification in the
coming months.
**ENDS**
Notes:
The information communicated within
this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as
stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No 596/2014
which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon publication of this announcement, this
inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
The person who arranged for the release of this announcement on
behalf of the Company was Gordon Stein, Director and
CFO.
For further
information contact:
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CleanTech
Lithium PLC
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Aldo Boitano/Gordon Stein
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Jersey office: +44 (0) 1534 668 321
Chile office: +562-32239222
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Or via Celicourt
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Celicourt
Communications
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+44 (0) 20 7770 6424
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Felicity Winkles/Philip Dennis/Ali
AlQahtani
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cleantech@celicourt.uk
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Harbor Access
- North America
Jonathan Paterson/Lisa Micali
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+1 475 477 9401
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Porter Novelli
- Chile
Ernesto Escobar
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+569 95348744
Ernesto@publicoporternovelli.cl
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Beaumont
Cornish Limited
(Nominated
Adviser)
Roland Cornish/Asia Szusciak
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+44 (0) 207 628 3396
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Canaccord
Genuity (Joint Broker)
James Asensio
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+44 (0) 207 523 4680
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Fox-Davies Capital Limited (Joint Broker)
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+44 20 3884 8450
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Daniel Fox-Davies
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daniel@fox-davies.com
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Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish")
is the Company's Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated
by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the Company's
Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide
the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for
Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to
the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and
will not be responsible to any other persons for providing
protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for
advising them in relation to the proposed arrangements described in
this announcement or any matter referred to in it.
About
CleanTech Lithium
CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL,
Frankfurt:T2N, OTCQX:CTLHF) is an exploration and development
company advancing sustainable lithium projects
in Chile for the clean energy transition. Committed to
net-zero, CleanTech Lithium's mission is to produce material
quantities of sustainable battery grade lithium products using
Direct Lithium Extraction technology powered by renewable energy.
The Company plans to be a leading supplier of 'green' lithium to
the EV and battery manufacturing market.
CleanTech Lithium has four lithium
projects - Laguna Verde, Francisco Basin, Llamara
and Salar de Atacama - located in the lithium triangle, a
leading centre for battery grade lithium production. The two major
projects: Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin are situated
within basins controlled by the Company, which affords significant
potential development and operational advantages. All four projects
have direct access to existing infrastructure and renewable
power.
CleanTech Lithium is committed to
using renewable power for processing and reducing the environmental
impact of its lithium production by utilising Direct Lithium
Extraction with reinjection of spent brine. Direct Lithium
Extraction is a transformative technology which removes lithium
from brine, with higher recoveries than conventional processes. The
method offers short development lead times with no extensive site
construction or evaporation pond development so there is minimal
water depletion from the aquifer. www.ctlithium.com