CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, OTCQX:CTLHF) (CTL) said the final components for its direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plant in Copiapó, Chile have arrived in the country.
The plant can now be assembled and testing procedures initiated, with technicians from DLE partner Sunresin expected by the end of November for the final testing and commissioning, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The pilot plant is designed for process optimisation and to produce a purified concentrated eluate that will feed the downstream process to deliver one tonne per month of lithium carbonate equivalent for product qualification by potential strategic partners and offtakers, such as automotive and battery manufacturers for testing and product qualification.
Meanwhile, the company said it is making progress on the pre-feasibility study (PFS) for its Laguna Verde project, incorporating the results from test work over six months using the lab scale multivalve DLE system.
Following a recent visit by the company’s senior leadership to several DLE operations in China, chief executive Aldo Boitano said this “has shown me the great opportunity DLE offers to produce lithium with an ESG led approach. It is clear in my mind that DLE is the way forward for lithium production if we are to meet EV production targets”.
He noted that the sites visited in China are extracting lithium from brine with no evaporation ponds, which has “provided further certainty in our projects as we progresses with the PFS for Laguna Verde”.
“This important phase of CTL's growth will help with the discussions we are planning to have with strategic partners in 2024.”