- 01Vulcan to start Vulsorb in 24 months.
- 02Lionheart 2028; URVBF targets 24kt LiOH/yr.
- 03Ilka licence secured; six-year term; plan to merge to 30 years.
Vulcan Energy (ASX: VUL) will conduct full-scale production of its proprietary lithium extraction adsorbent Vulsorb over the next 24 months, ahead of commissioning of its flagship Lionheart integrated carbon-neutral lithium and renewable energy project in the second half of 2028.
The technology is used to selectively capture lithium from brine and the move to production follows years of technology development and validation through extensive laboratory testing to operation at industrial demonstration scale.
It will be incorporated into the Lionheart development located in the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field (URVBF) on the border of Germany and France.
The URVBF is targeting production capacity of 24,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (estimated to be enough for 500,000 electric vehicle batteries per year) and a co-product of 275 gigawatt hours of renewable power and 560GWh of heat per year for local consumers over an estimated 30-year project life.
Vulsorb has achieved up to 95% lithium extraction efficiency in thousands of operating cycles under real-world conditions and the last three years of product trials have produced highly pure lithium chloride and battery-grade lithium hydroxide from demonstration-scale lithium extraction and lithium chemical plants, providing Vulcan with sufficient confidence to move to full-scale production with a local tolling partner in Germany.
Second Production Licence
Vulcan recently secured a second Lionheart lithium production licence (designated Ilka) covering its Landau geothermal production permit area, which is already producing renewable heat.
The licence is valid for six years, after which time Vulcan will look to combine both lithium production licences into one, granted to a minimum of 30 years’ duration consistent with the Lionheart field development plan.
Managing director Cris Moreno said the second licence was an important achievement for Lionheart, further validating Vulcan’s progress towards becoming Europe’s leading producer of strategic, low-cost lithium.
Beyond Lionheart, Vulsorb will provide a scalable platform for future expansion across Vulcan’s URVBF resource base, including Project Ludwig and through select technology licensing arrangements with third parties.
Key Project Foundation
Mr Moreno said the milestone reinforced the company’s position as a leading western lithium technology company and established an important foundation for Lionheart.
“This represents a significant technology, supply chain and execution de-risking achievement for Lionheart ahead of first commercial lithium production,” he said.
“A-DLE [adsorption-type direct lithium extraction] technology is increasingly being embraced by major companies as the industry’s brine technology choice, and Vulsorb is one of the very few commercially bankable technologies supported by western intellectual property and a fully ex-China supply chain.”
“At a time when access to critical mineral technologies is becoming increasingly strategic, this provides us with greater supply chain security, reduced geopolitical risk, and enhanced project execution certainty.
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