The feedstock to the crystallization plant will be the high-purity lithium solution produced by the full-scale Selective Extraction Pilot Plant previously announced by the Company on 26th March 2018.
The crystallization plant will be intelligently automated and will utilise machine-learning to optimise the crystallization conditions.
The selective crystallisation plant will be designed, built and tested in Vancouver, BC, and will then be deployed at the Company’s Pilot Plant location in El Dorado, Arkansas.
This novel, continuous selective crystallisation plant is based on work conducted by Professor Jason Hein, a member of Standard Lithium’s Technical Advisory Committee, that has been demonstrated at bench scale to result in reproducible and high purity lithium carbonate crystallisation.
Standard Lithium COO and president Andy Robinson said: “We’re extremely pleased to announce this agreement with Saltworks; we’ve been very impressed with the quality and technical sophistication of their team and the products that they design and manufacture.
“Standard Lithium is taking a parallel and risk-managed approach at our Pilot-scale facility with respect to our final crystallisation stage; our intention is to ‘future proof’ our final production options.
“In addition to our in-house technology testing, we will be sending high-purity lithium solutions to OEMs in order that they can use traditional, proven technologies to demonstrate production of lithium carbonate and hydroxide; however, we also wish to test whether modern approaches can provide a more efficient solution to making very high purity lithium carbonate.”
Saltworks CEO Benjamin Sparrow said: “Lithium mining is water mining. Our team is very excited to provide Standard Lithium with an advanced water technology edge, leveraging our experience while working with their world class team.”
Source: Company Press Release.
