Construction of a battery grade demonstration direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant at Lithium Energy Ltd (ASX:LEL)'s Solaroz lithium brine project in Argentina is progressing well with Xi’an Lanshen New Material Technology Co. Ltd having commenced large-scale laboratory testwork.
The DLE plant will be capable of producing 3,000 tonnes per annum of battery-grade lithium carbonate at Solaroz, which is next to Allkem’s lithium facility in the Salar de Olaroz basin in the heart of South America’s world-renowned ‘Lithium Triangle’.
Lanshen is funding the engineering and design, construction, transportation, assembly, commissioning and initial operation of the DLE plant.
10,000-litre sample sent for test work
Lithium Energy has now sent a 10,000-litre lithium brine sample to Lanshen’s laboratory in Santiago, Chile, to undergo detailed test-work, building upon previous bench-scale testing by Lanshen.
The key objectives of this test-work are to optimise the Lanshen DLE module process flowsheet, determine optimal resin performance, minimise water consumption and provide preliminary engineering data for the development of the proposed 3,000 tonnes per annum battery-grade lithium carbonate plant at Solaroz.
Along with driving the engineering and design specifications for the plant, the test-work will provide important data needed to prepare applications for relevant environmental and other approvals.
The large-scale laboratory test-work is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year and will mark a significant milestone in the advancement of the proposed Lanshen DLE Plant.
A recent scoping study confirmed that conventional pond evaporation remains the go-forward base development case for Solaroz. However, the third-party funded DLE plant with Lanshen provides the benefit of alternative potential production pathways.
Lanshen Laboratory DLE Carousel.