REG - CleanTech Lithium - DLE Process Test Work - Adsorbent Selection

Cleantech LithiumAnnouncement

30/01/2024 07:15

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RNS Number : 2885B  CleanTech Lithium PLC  30 January 2024

30 January 2024

 

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

Positive DLE Process Test Work Leads to Adsorbent Selection for Pilot Plant

 

CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N, OTCQX:CTLHF) an exploration and
development company advancing lithium projects in Chile, reports the results
of recent completed Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process test work. The
positive results have informed the selection and ordering of the lithium
adsorbent to be used in the Company´s pilot plant, which has finished
construction at the Company´s R&D Centre in Copiapó and is in the
process of being commissioned and tested.

 

DLE Process Work Highlights:

·    Extensive Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) work undertaken in 2023 to
optimise the process

·    Progress in the process work has now led to the selection of
adsorbent from Xián Lanshen New Material Technology (Lanshen) as the
preferred adsorbent for the Company´s pilot plant

·    Recently completed multi-cycle tests on Laguna Verde brine produced
very positive results for key DLE metrics: adsorbent capacity, lithium
recovery rates, and eluate composition

·    These results are achieved without pH adjustment in pre-treatment or
heating of the brine or eluant, with distilled water used for desorption

 Process Test                    Result          Comment
 Pre-treatment                   Filtering only  No pH adjustment required
 Adsorption recovery rate        >95%
 Desorption recovery rate        >95%
 Lithium Loading Capacity        3.5g Li per kg  Target is 4.6g Li per kg
 Eluate Composition
     Li Concentration Factor     >3X
     Na                          <100mg/l        Very low
     TDS                         <4,000mg/l      Very low

 

·    The results indicate that brine from Laguna Verde has low
contaminants and is conducive to DLE

·    The Company´s dedicated DLE testing laboratory in Antofagasta,
Chile, has played an important role in testing adsorbents

·    Lanshen is a leader in DLE and has signed an agreement with Koch
Technology Solutions (Koch), a subsidiary of Koch Industries (USA), to
exclusively distribute Lanshen adsorbent for Koch´s DLE process in the North
American and European markets

·    The Company´s pilot plant has now been filled with Lanshen adsorbent
and is in the latter stages of commissioning

 

Commenting, Aldo Boitano, Chief Executive Officer, of CleanTech Lithium PLC,
said:

"The DLE sector is rapidly evolving, we are seeing developments from several
companies all around the world to advance the production of lithium. Our trip
to China towards the end of last year was enlightening, we were able to see on
the ground the remarkable opportunity DLE provides for the lithium sector and
the adoption of electric vehicles and clean energy storage solutions.

 

Informed by the results we have announced today, our DLE pilot plant has now
been loaded with Lanshen's adsorbent, and plant commissioning is in process.
This is a significant milestone for the Company as we aim to achieve process
and product verification in 2024."

 

Process Work Progress Update

CleanTech Lithium´s process team is comprised of lithium process experts in
Chile with additional expertise provided by DLE sector consultants Peter Ehren
and Forward Water Technologies.  DLE process trials have been completed with
a multitude of adsorbent* (#_ftn1) suppliers, from emerging technologies to
established petrochemical companies, both at supplier facilities and at the
Company´s dedicated DLE testing laboratory in Antofagasta, Chile. Globally,
China has a significant presence in the DLE sector with five or more
commercial scale adsorbent suppliers, all of which were visited by CleanTech
Lithium in October 2023.

At the Company´s laboratory, a series of tests were carried out starting with
beaker tests, then single column tests and finally multi-cycle tests using a
multi-valve carousal unit. The in-house testing has given CTL the ability to
directly compare different adsorbents and to verify adsorbent performance data
from trials conducted at supplier facilities. A laboratory scale trial on a
Lanshen carousal unit in Santiago, Chile, is shown in Figure 1.

* Adsorbent and resin are interchangeable terms in the DLE sector

Figure 1: A laboratory scale trial on a Lanshen carousal unit (Santiago,
Chile)

 

Selection of Adsorbent for Pilot Plant

DLE process test-work produces data on the key performance metrics for a DLE
adsorbent being adsorption and desorption recovery rates, lithium loading
capacity, the composition of the eluate which is based on the selectivity for
lithium versus other ions, along with water use and durability of the
adsorbent. The Company´s 2023 process test-work led to the selection of an
adsorbent supplied by Lanshen for the pilot plant testing.

Lanshen is one of the largest DLE adsorbent suppliers in China with a lithium
adsorbent manufacturing capacity of 8,000m(3). Major shareholders of Lanshen
include Softbank, Minmetals and CICC Capital. In the North American and
European markets, Lanshen has an exclusive agreement with Koch under which
Lanshen adsorbent is used in Koch´s Li-Pro DLE process. Koch Industries is
the second largest private company in the USA with annual revenue of US$125
billion in 2023. Lanshen has a strong commitment to working in Chile where it
has a testing facility and pilot plant located in Santiago, which has
facilitated cooperation. The Lanshen pilot plant includes all unit processes
from DLE through to lithium carbonate production. In October 2023, CleanTech
Lithium visited Lanshen´s operating commercial DLE unit in China, which has
achieved an impressive operating performance extracting lithium directly from
raw brine.

 

  Figure 2: Lanshen Pilot Unit in Santiago
       Figure 3: Lanshen Commercial DLE Unit in China

Positive Results from Recently Completed Trials

The Company has completed 10 trials at the Lanshen testing and pilot
facilities in Santiago, with the results of the latest trial presented in the
Table below. Parameters such as the flow rates of feed brine are still being
optimised and certain results such as lithium loading capacity are expected to
increase further.

The Company views the results as being very positive and the performance of
the Lanshen adsorbent has been superior to other adsorbents tested. This
further considers that no pH adjustment is needed to pre-treat brine via
adding an acid or base, and the brine and eluant is not required to be heated
to a high temperature as is the case with a number of adsorbents from other
suppliers. While heating of brine and eluant improves kinetics and therefore
adsorbent performance, using such absorbent would need to be weighed with the
additional Capex and operating cost of heating the large volume of feed brine
and eluant. As with other alumina hydroxide based adsorbents, water is used as
the desorption eluant as opposed to acidic eluants used in some other DLE
processes.

 Process Test                    Result          Comment
 Pre-treatment                   Filtering only  No pH adjustment required
 Adsorption recovery rate        >95%
 Desorption recovery rate        >95%
 Lithium Loading Capacity        3.5g Li per kg  Target is 4.6g Li per kg
 Eluate Composition
     Li Concentration Factor     >3X
     Na                          <100mg/l        Very low
     TDS                         <4,000mg/l      Very low

Table 1:  Lanshen Multi-Cycle Test Summary of Key Results

Lanshen uses a double layered alumina hydroxide adsorbent, the only
commercially proven DLE adsorbent. For an alumina hydroxide based adsorbent
there are several contaminants that affect adsorption or desorption
performance, with the key ones typically being silica, arsenic, manganese, and
total organic carbon (TOC). Laguna Verde brine has an average Total dissolved
solids (TDS) of approximately 140g/l which is among the lowest TDS of any JORC
or NI43-101 compliant lithium brine resource in Chile or Argentina, with the
key contaminants described above also being low. This is one reason the test
work has produced good results without pre-treatment of the brine in the form
of pH adjustment (addition of acid/base) or a large heat input for feed brine
or eluant.

 

The Lanshen adsorbent has very high selectivity for lithium versus the other
major ions in the brine with the eluate showing very low sodium (Na)
(rejection over 99%) and other major ions, resulting in a low TDS eluate. This
is highly conducive to the following process steps of concentration using
reverse osmosis (RO) and forward osmosis (FO), and remaining impurity removal
via nanofiltration (NF) and ion exchange (IX) to produce a concentrated
lithium chloride solution. The lower the TDS in the eluate, the more efficient
and larger the concentration factor achieved by RO and FO, while NF and IX
efficiency is a function of the level of impurities in the concentrated
eluate, being ions other than lithium and chloride.

 

2024 Process Test-work - DLE Pilot Plant

The Company is now focused on finishing the commissioning and testing of the
pilot plant to optimise the DLE process and produce high quality lithium
chloride eluate for conversion to battery grade lithium carbonate.
Construction is complete with all columns now loaded with Lanshen resin and
commissioning is continuing. Process conditions were required to be adjusted
and optimised for the Lanshen adsorbent that has a higher adsorption capacity
than the Sunresin adsorbent for which the pilot plant was designed. Adsorption
capacity is important as higher adsorption capacity will require a smaller DLE
plant resulting in lower capex for the DLE plant. The Company will be updating
the market on pilot plant progress on an ongoing basis.

 

 

Figure 4:  CTL's pilot plant at the Company´s R&D Centre in Copaipó.
The blue columns (approx. 2.5 metres tall x 30) are loaded with Lanshen's
resin. The green bioplastic vessels on the right will feed the columns with
brine from Laguna Verde. Figure 5:  Puritech technicians on site during the
construction phase - late December 2023

 

 

Figure 5:  Puritech technicians on site during the construction phase - late
December 2023

Glossary of Terms

 Term                    Abbreviation
 Total Organic Carbon    TOC
 Total Dissolved Solids  TDS
 Sodium                  Na
 Reverse Osmosis         RO
 Forward Osmosis         FO
 Nanofiltration          NF

 

Competent Persons

The following professional acts as qualified person, as defined in the AIM
Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies (June 2009) and JORC Code (2012):

·      Marcelo Bravo: Chemical Engineer (Universidad Católica del
Norte), has a Master's Degree in Engineering Sciences major in Mineral
Processing, Universidad de Antofagasta. He currently works as a Senior Process
Consulting Engineer at the Ad-Infinitum company. Mr Bravo has relevant
experience in researching and developing potassium, lithium carbonate, and
solar evapo-concentration design processes in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia.
Mr Bravo, who has reviewed and approved the information contained in the
chapters relevant to his expertise contained in this announcement, is
registered with No. 412 in the public registry of Competent Persons in Mining
Resources and Reserves per the Law of Persons Competent and its Regulations in
force in Chile. Mr Bravo has sufficient experience relevant to the
metallurgical tests and the type of subsequent processing of the extracted
brines under consideration and to the activity being carried out to qualify as
a competent person, as defined in the JORC Code. Mr Bravo consents to the
inclusion in the press release of the matters based on his information in the
form and context in which it appears.

 

The information communicated within this announcement is deemed to constitute
inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No
596/2014 which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018. Upon publication of this announcement, this inside information is
now considered to be in the public domain. The person who arranged for the
release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was Gordon Stein,
Director and CFO.

 

 For further information contact:

 CleanTech Lithium PLC
 Aldo Boitano/Gordon Stein                     Jersey office: +44 (0) 1534 668 321

                                               Chile office: +562-32239222
                                               Or via Celicourt
 Celicourt Communications                      +44 (0) 20 7770 6424
 Felicity Winkles/Philip Dennis/Ali AlQahtani  cleantech@celicourt.uk

 Dr. Reuter Investor Relations                 +49 69 1532 5857

 Dr. Eva Reuter
 Harbor Access - North America                 +1 475 477 9401

 Jonathan Paterson/Lisa Micali
 Porter Novelli - Chile                        +569 95348744

 Ernesto Escobar                               Ernesto@publicoporternovelli.cl

 Beaumont Cornish Limited                      +44 (0) 207 628 3396

 (Nominated Adviser)

 Roland Cornish/Asia Szusciak

 Canaccord Genuity (Joint Broker)              +44 (0) 207 523 4680

 James Asensio

 Fox-Davies Capital Limited (Joint Broker)     +44 20 3884 8450
 Daniel Fox-Davies                             daniel@fox-davies.com (mailto:daniel@fox-davies.com)

 

 

Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish") is the Company's Nominated
Adviser and is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish's
responsibilities as the Company's Nominated Adviser, including a
responsibility to advise and guide the Company on its responsibilities under
the AIM Rules for Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed
solely to the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and
will not be responsible to any other persons for providing protections
afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation to
the proposed arrangements described in this announcement or any matter
referred to in it.

 

Notes

 

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL) is an exploration and development company,
advancing the next generation of sustainable lithium projects in Chile.  The
Company's mission is to produce material quantities of battery grade lithium
by 2024, with near zero carbon emissions and low environmental impact,
offering the EU EV market a green lithium supply solution.

 

CleanTech Lithium has two prospective lithium projects - Laguna Verde and
Francisco Basin projects located in the lithium triangle, the world's centre
for battery grade lithium production. They are situated within basins entirely
controlled by the Company, which affords significant potential development and
operational advantages. The projects have direct access to excellent
infrastructure and renewable power.

 

CleanTech Lithium is committed to using renewable power for processing and
reducing the environmental impact of its lithium production by utilising
Direct Lithium Extraction. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative
technology which only removes lithium from brine, with higher recoveries and
purities. The method offers short development lead times, low upfront capex,
with no extensive site construction and no evaporation pond development so
there is no water depletion from the aquifer or harm to the local environment.

 

**ENDS**

 

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