RCS - CleanTech Lithium - Trials to Further Validate PFS Process Design

Cleantech LithiumAnnouncement

16/04/2026 07:00

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RNS Number : 6567A  CleanTech Lithium PLC  16 April 2026

16 April 2026

CleanTech Lithium PLC ("CTL", CleanTech Lithium" or the "Company")

Trials to Further Validate PFS Process Design

 

CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM: CTL, Frankfurt: T2N), an exploration and
development company advancing sustainable lithium projects in Chile, announces
an update on two trials being undertaken in North America and in Santiago,
Chile, to produce battery grade lithium carbonate from the Laguna Verde
project. The trials are focused on replicating and validating the process
design that has been defined in the Laguna Verde Pre-Feasibility Study
("PFS").

Highlights:

·    In North America, stage two of the downstream processing of eluate*
(see footnote for definition) produced by our DLE pilot plant located in
Chile, into battery grade lithium carbonate has commenced.

·    The first stage of this work was undertaken by Conductive Energy and
reported to the market in January 2025.

·    Conductive Energy was acquired by Empower EIT over the course of
2025, with Empower establishing an advanced lithium processing facility in
Dallas, USA.

·    This second stage of eluate conversion will process >60m(3) of
concentrated eluate at the new facility.

·    The nanofiltration stage of the process will utilise an advanced
membrane developed by DuPont Water Solutions to maximise impurity removal and
lithium recovery.

·    Approximately 300kg of battery grade lithium carbonate are expected
to be produced in Q2 2026 and made available to potential strategic partners
for product qualification.

·    Concurrently, a smaller scale pilot programme is underway utilising
the pilot plant of Lanshen Technology ("Lanshen"), located in Santiago, Chile.

·    This pilot plant replicates the process flowsheet developed with
Lanshen for the Laguna Verde PFS and aims to demonstrate the robustness of the
process design and provide a high degree of validation of the process
parameters used in the PFS.

·    A volume of 24m(3) of feed brine from Laguna Verde is being processed
into >5kg of battery grade lithium carbonate.

Ignacio Mehech, Chief Executive Officer, CleanTech Lithium said: "We are
undertaking important pilot scale process trials in North America and Chile to
produce battery grade lithium carbonate from Laguna Verde brine. This work
will provide strong technical support for the process flow sheet used in our
PFS which we think is an important consideration for engaging with potential
strategic investors."

Further Details:

Eluate conversion in North America commences

In 2H 2024, a total of 88m(3) of concentrated eluate produced at the
Company´s DLE pilot plant located in Copiapó, Chile, was shipped to the
facilities of Conductive Energy in Chicago, USA, for conversion into lithium
carbonate. A total of 27.5m(3) of eluate was processed in this first stage
trial which produced approximately 50kg of lithium carbonate.  The details
were reported to the market on January 14, 2025 (link
(https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/cleantech_lithium/news/xml_rns/story/r7zqg1w)
).  Conductive Energy entered an extended acquisition process in 2025 which
culminated in it being acquired by Empower EIT, a company which aims to be a
leader in lithium processing in North America. With the establishment of
Empower´s new 1600m(2) facility based in Dallas, Texas, stage two processing
has commenced on the remaining approximately 60m(3) of concentrated eluate. A
nanofiltration stage has been added to remove divalent ions from the eluate
which should further reduce impurities in the battery grade lithium carbonate
product.

 

Fig. 1: Empower Lithium Processing Facility in Dallas, Texas

 

The conversion process is depicted in Fig. 2.  For the nanofiltration (NF)
stage, Empower and CleanTech will build on previous collaboration with DuPont
Water Solutions, a business unit of DuPont, which has developed a new NF
membrane to remove impurities and maximize lithium recovery. The stage two
trial aims to produce approximately 300kg of battery grade lithium carbonate.
Lithium carbonate product will be sent to a laboratory in North America to be
verified as battery-grade (>99.5%) and meeting Chinese Standard GBT
23853-2022 Type 1 for minor impurities. Samples will be available for product
qualification by potential strategic partners. An initial volume of battery
grade lithium is expected to be produced in the coming weeks, and the
processing of the total volume of 60m(3) of eluate is targeted to be completed
by the end of next month.

Fig. 2: Downstream process for eluate conversion

Plant Programme with Lanshen to Validate and Optimise PFS Process

CleanTech selected Lanshen´s technology for the DLE stage of the process
design used in the Laguna Verde PFS with the downstream conversion process
design also developed with Lanshen. The Company will continue to evaluate the
optimal options for DLE and downstream process stages with all parties.  For
the purposes of validating the PFS process design, the Company has engaged
Lanshen to complete a trial at Lanshen´s pilot plant in Santiago, Chile to
produce battery grade lithium carbonate from Laguna Verde feed brine. This
trial will test both the specific DLE adsorbent and the flow-sheet used for
the downstream conversion process in the PFS.  It will also evaluate key
materials, reagents and equipment, and verify the PFS assumptions for the
capacity of DLE modules and water consumption rates.  The Company believes
this pilot programme will provide a powerful validation of the PFS process
design.

A volume of 24m(3) of feed brine from Laguna Verde is being processed into
>5kg of battery grade lithium carbonate with the test-work expected to be
completed and the results reported to the market in the current quarter.

Fig. 3: Lanshen pilot plant facilities in Santiago, Chile

 

*Eluate*

Purified, lithium-rich solution produced as the output of the Direct Lithium
Extraction ("DLE") process. The eluate being processed by Empower was produced
by processing Laguna Verde brine through CleanTech Lithium's DLE pilot plant,
which selectively removes lithium while rejecting over 99% of key impurities
including calcium, magnesium and sodium. The resulting lithium chloride eluate
was further concentrated using reverse osmosis to be further processed
downstream to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate.

 

 

 For further information contact:
 CleanTech Lithium PLC
 Ignacio Mehech/Gordon Stein/Nick Baxter       Office: +44 (0) 1534 668 321

                                               Mobile: +44 (0) 7494 630 360

                                               Email: info@ctlithium.com
 Beaumont Cornish Limited (Nominated Adviser)  +44 (0) 20 7628 3396

 Roland Cornish/Asia Szusciak
 iStar Capital Limited (Joint Broker)          +44 (0) 20 3884 8450

 Daniel Fox-Davies                             daniel@istarcapital.com (mailto:daniel@istarcapital.com)
 Canaccord Genuity (Joint Broker)              +44 (0) 20 7523 4680

 James Asensio

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Notes

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N) is an exploration and development
company advancing lithium projects in Chile for the clean energy transition.
CleanTech Lithium has two key lithium projects in Chile, Laguna Verde and
Viento Andino, and exploration stage project in Arenas Blancas (Salar de
Atacama), located in the lithium triangle, a leading centre for battery grade
lithium production. CleanTech Lithium and the Mining Ministry in Chile have
agreed the contractual terms for the Special Lithium Operating Contract
("CEOL") for Laguna Verde, subject to final ratification.

 

CleanTech Lithium is committed to utilising Direct Lithium Extraction ("DLE")
with reinjection of spent brine. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative
technology which removes lithium from brine with higher recoveries, short
development lead times and no extensive evaporation pond construction. For
more information, please visit: www.ctlithium.com
(https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___http:/www.ctlithium.com___.YzJ1Om1vbnRnb21lcnlhbmRhc3NvY2lhdGVzMTpjOm86NjEwNmExYzM5NTM5YzQyYzVkZGVlN2I0NDdmY2FhNWQ6Nzo4NTg5OjEzODA4NGYyM2MzYzQyMDEzN2VjZDY0ZTk3ZGY1ZjI5OGFjMTA1M2QyNzBiMjMyYzg2OGEyMWM5NjhkNzU2NmY6cDpUOkY)

 

**ENDS**

 

 

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