Aspiring zero carbon lithium producer Vulcan Energy Resources has successfully commissioned its pilot plant to demonstrate direct lithium extraction (DLE) from Upper Rhine Valley geothermal brine.
Vulcan Managing Director, Dr Francis Wedin, described the milestone as a kay step towards achieving the company’s goal of producing lithium hydroxide for the European battery electric vehicle market and building a combined renewable energy and chemicals business.
“Getting our Pilot Plant up and running on live geothermal brine is a significant milestone for Vulcan,” Mr Wedin said.
“This has already started producing crucial data needed for de-risking the lithium extraction process. It took less than 6 months to design, build, and commission the Pilot Plant.
“This aggressive timeline was enabled by the project’s world-class technology partners and location in Germany, where access to chemical engineering expertise is unparalleled.
He said the company will use the data from the pilot plant to inform and finalise design of a larger, demonstration plant.
“We look forward to keeping our shareholders informed as we progress our efforts,” Dr Wedin concluded.
