UK-based British Lithium has produced its first batch of lithium from a pilot plant near Roche, Cornwall.
The pilot plant took seven months to build and uses patented technology in a sustainable production process. About four years of research and development went into the pilot plant design.
The production process, from mica in granite, includes crushing, grinding and beneficiating the ore, custom-built electric calcination at low temperatures, acid-free leaching and multiple purification steps that include ion-exchange.
The lithium carbonate produced from the plant will be a key component in the batteries of electric vehicles, the manufacturing of which is picking up pace in the UK.
British Lithium will be manufacturing 5 kg a day of lithium carbonate from early this year – enough to demonstrate its commercial value to customers. Once the process is fully developed, work will begin on building a full-scale plant.
“New processes are normally piloted during the definitive feasibility stage but, as lithium has never been produced commercially from mica before, de-risking our proprietary technology is an important step in developing our project.
"Doing it now allows us to operate in real-world conditions using actual site water and locally sourced commercial reagents. We’re delighted with the rapid progress we’ve made, but there’s still a long road ahead in terms of refining and optimising the process,” explains CE Andrew Smith.
British Lithium aims to eventually produce 21 000 t/y of battery-grade lithium.