Companies trying to extract lithium at a site in the North East say early work points to the commercial potential of their operation.
In moves that have won praise from a Government Minister, County Durham firm Northern Lithium has joined forces with North West-based Evove to use water extracted from under the surface in the North Pennines to produce lithium carbonate suitable for use in batteries. Trials at Evove’s test centre in Widnes, Cheshire, have so far produced around two kilograms of battery-grade lithium carbonate at a purity level above 99.5%, with the companies saying the work confirms the commercial potential of Northern Lithium’s saline brines.
Lithium is a critical raw material in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries and 海角视频 production of the material would be a boost to the country’s electric vehicle sector. Currently battery makers depend on imported lithium from Asia, Australia and South America, though a number of companies in the North East and the South West are trying to establish 海角视频 production.
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Industry experts have estimated that the 海角视频 will need up to 80,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent per year by 2030 and as much as 135,000 tonnes per year by 2040.
Nick Pople, managing director of Northern Lithium, said: “The quality and quantity of lithium carbonate that has been produced at industrial scale is incredibly exciting. Our goal is to reach commercial production of between 5,000 to 10,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium per year from several production areas across the Northern Pennine Orefield over the next decade.”
Chris Wyres, Evove CEO, said: “The material produced by Evove’s DLE (direct lithium extraction) membrane filtration technology confirms the purity of our brines and ability to deliver a commercially viable solution. It is a huge step forward and gives us the green light to quickly begin scaling up activities.
“We have developed a strong partnership with Northern Lithium, enabling us to move rapidly to deliver this significant milestone. Processing large quantities of real brines validates the industrial scalability of our DLE solution and its ability to produce high purity battery-grade materials, both cost effectively and sustainably.”
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The two companies are now working on a commercial-scale processing plant to allow Northern Lithium to deliver full-scale battery-grade lithium production in County Durham, as well expanding exploratory drilling activities at other locations in the Northern Pennines.
Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said: “This is another exciting milestone for our domestic supply of critical minerals and the 海角视频’s car industry as we look to ramp up our electric battery production. Earlier this year we published our Critical Minerals Refresh to improve supply chain resilience, and we are supporting several lithium extraction and refining opportunities to make sure the 海角视频 automotive sector is well set for the future.”