off-the-wire

Albemarle wraps up validation of lithium pilot plant in Chile

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
Albemarle wraps up validation of lithium pilot plant in Chile teaser image

Albemarle said on Wednesday it completed the validation of its direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plant in Chile, allowing the company to finalize its design of a future commercial facility and proceed to environmental review.

The US company is one of two lithium miners in Chile, which is the world’s second-largest producer of the metal that is key for electric vehicle batteries.

By the numbers:

Lithium recovery exceeded 94% during stable operation.

The pilot plant ran for over 3,000 hours, equivalent to more than 90 consecutive days.

Water reuse reached up to 85% during the validation phase.

Albemarle allocated $30 million to the pilot plant and another $216 million to a salt recovery plant in the Atacama salt flat.
(By Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Sarah Morland)

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