Anson Resources Enhances Green River Lithium Project with Key Contaminant Reduction Program
Anson Resources (ASX: ASN) has moved to add value to its Green River lithium project in south-eastern Utah, USA by successfully reducing the minor contaminants remaining in its pure lithium chloride eluate.
The “polishing” program at Green River utilised Koch Technology Services’ (KTS) direct lithium extraction pilot plant to clean up the lithium chloride.
The removal of the remaining contaminates can result in a higher grade final lithium carbonate product.
Significant Cost Benefits
In announcing the new breakthrough, Anson chief executive officer Bruce Richardson said successful polishing can potentially reduce the capital and operational expenditure of a lithium carbonate plant.
Anson’s wholly-owned subsidiary company A1 Technologies has been trialling a number of available technologies and has developed a downstream processing flowsheet suitable for processing the 43,500 gallons of lithium chloride the KTS pilot plant produces.
The initial polished samples are being concentrated prior to the final steps of evaporation and carbonation, when the remaining contaminants either precipitate or are washed out to produce EV grade lithium carbonate.
POSCO Samples
Earlier this week, another Anson subsidiary, Blackstone Minerals, shipped a 2-ton bulk sample of Green River lithium rich brine to South Korea’s POSCO Holdings.
POSCO will test the brine to assess lithium extraction efficiency as part of its due diligence process for the planned demonstration plant at Green River.
The bulk sample includes iron free brine Anson’s unique chemical free process has produced, and POSCO will use results from the test work to prepare an initial engineering design and cost estimates for the proposed plant.
Green River Expansion
Anson pegged an additional 100 strategic claims at Green River in early July, increasing the project footprint by approximately 10% to 88.61 square kilometres.
The newly added claims form one contiguous block with a recently approved State of Utah lease.
The company will be able to immediately include approximately 28% of the claims in the project’s next JORC mineral resource upgrade.