UK explorer Cornish Lithium has successfully completed the construction of its United Downs geothermal water test site, in Cornwall, which will be used to trial direct lithium extraction (DLE) process technologies.
The facility has been designed to establish which DLE technologies are most suited to low-carbon extraction of lithium from geothermal waters.
Cornish confirms that testwork to optimise the extraction of lithium from mica minerals is under way, in collaboration with Grinding Solutions.
This, while it also made progress toward defining a maiden mineral resource estimate for the Trelavour project after recently completing a second hard rock drilling campaign.
Cornish CEO and founder Jeremy Wrathall says the company’s lithium in geothermal waters test site at United Downs provides it with an opportunity to demonstrate what modern, low-carbon mineral extraction looks like, and the results will inform the development of the larger pilot plant that the company intends on constructing by the end of March next year.