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Vulcan Energy Resources (ASX:VUL) produces first battery quality lithium hydroxide from pilot plant

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ASX:VUL      MCAP $550.6M
27 September 2021 09:40 (AEST)

Vulcan Energy Resources (VUL) has produced its first battery quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate from piloting operations in Germany.

The lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) was produced from Vulcan’s sorption pilot plant in the Upper Rhine Valley in Germany. The pilot plant has been operating successfully since April 2021, using brine from a geothermal plant.

Vulcan said the sample exceeded traditional battery grade LHM product, at greater than 56.5 per cent lithium hydroxide monohydrate with very low impurities.

The lithium chloride extracted by the sorbent in the pilot plant was recovered with water and sent offsite. There it was purified and concentrated by a third-party provider to prepare the lithium chloride for electrolysis to produce lithium hydroxide solution.

The solution was then crystalised to produce battery grade LHM.

Data generated during the production of the sample are set to go towards Vulcan’s ongoing definitive feasibility study.  

The company said further production of battery quality material will continue to ramp up in order to supply Vulcan’s offtake partners with samples.

Vulcan’s Managing Director Francis Wedin said: “We will continue to methodically progress, de-risk and execute on our plan to build a fully integrated renewable energy and battery-quality lithium chemicals project in Europe to service the battery and electric vehicle industry.”

Vulcan is currently targeting Phase 1 commercial production for the 2024 calendar year, while its plant is set to be progressively scaled up in size during the coming year.

Vulcan Energy Resources was up 0.53 per cent, trading at $13.38 at 11:25 am AEST.

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