CleanTech Lithium provides progress update on Direct Lithium Extraction

The company is progressing the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) at its major Laguna Verde project which will incorporate the results from extensive test work over six months using the lab scale multivalve DLE system. In addition, the DLE Pilot Plant and downstream process plant to produce battery grade lithium carbonate will enable the company to advance discussions with potential strategic partners who can support the development and financing of the company’s projects.

Highlights:

• Delivery of final components of the DLE Pilot Plant at CTL’s warehouse facilities in Copiapó means the pilot plant can be fully assembled and testing starts.
• Technicians from Sunresin are scheduled to visit at the end of November 2023 for the final testing and commissioning phase.
• The DLE Pilot Plant is designed to produce up to 1 tpm of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in concentrated lithium eluate which will be processed to battery grade lithium carbonate at an existing third-party facility.
• Samples of the product will be made available to potential strategic partners and offtakers, such as major auto and battery manufacturers, for testing and product qualification.
• Recently, a team from CTL’s senior leadership visited several DLE operations in China. The visit demonstrated how rapidly DLE technology is advancing.
• CEO Aldo Boitano, Non-Executive Director, Maha Daoudi and DLE Process Manager, Rodrigo Rivas, visited DLE operations and manufacturers spanning the DLE supply chain to see first-hand the commercial application of the technology in China.

Aldo Boitano, Chief Executive Officer, CleanTech Lithium said: “The recent visit to China 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.

“The companies we visited in China are forging ahead with lithium extraction from brine with no evaporation ponds and this has provided further certainty in our projects as we progress 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.

The next six months are going to be a busy period for CTL, with the combination of the PFS and the analysis of results from the DLE Pilot Plant making this an exciting period in the company’s journey.”

Maha Daoudi, Independent Non-Executive Director, CleanTech Lithium added: “It has been fantastic to return to China and see the pace of technological advancement. With the support of a local specialist consultant with whom I have worked before for many years, we have been able to meet the Chairmen and CEOs of some of the world’s leading DLE developers to discuss how we can apply their technical expertise to CTL’s projects. It has been overall a very constructive visit and gives positive perspectives for the development of CTL’s projects.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/09112023/cleantech-lithium-provides-progress-update-on-direct-lithium-extraction/