Direct Lithium Extraction demo plant now being built

Vulcan Energy Resources (FSE | ASX: VUL) has begun onsite construction of its sorption-demo Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) plant on the premises of local energy utility, Energie Südwest AG (ESW), in Germany.

This demo plant represents a key element of VUL’s strategy to de-risk its Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project, with technical and operations staff to train here ahead of construction of the first commercial plant.

VUL chose a sorption-type DLE approach for its lithium extraction business due to its demonstrated successful commercial deployment globally, and because this method optimally produces lithium chemicals from hot brines with low operating cost and sustainable footprint.

As sorption-type DLE typically requires the brine to be hot, and VUL intends to use the heat in the waste brine from its geothermal renewable energy operations. This removes the need to heat the brine with natural gas (which has become a scarce resource in Germany and the rest of Europe), as is needed at other commercial operations worldwide, and represents a significant financial and greenhouse gas emissions saving.

It also allows for the technology to be used on lower grade lithium brines compared to salar brines. Other advantages over traditional brine evaporation include higher lithium recovery, lower water and chemicals consumption, shorter lead time to production, and minimal land footprint.

The sorption-demo plant is scheduled to start operating in early 2023 after the start of cold commissioning later this year.

CEO Dr Francis Wedin explained that this was the logical next step to continue upscaling towards commercial production of lithium hydroxide with a net zero carbon footprint.