Extractive Industries

Cornish Lithium commissions £4m DLE pilot plant

Cornish Lithium Ltd said it had successfully commissioned the pioneering £4 million direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plant at United Downs, Cornwall.

Preference: Cornish Lithium will test different DLE technologies during the course of 2022 (Cornish Lithium)

DLE

The company added that it was the first time that a DLE system has become operational in the UK.

DLE technology selectively removes the lithium compounds from the geothermal waters.

Cornish Lithium believes this is the “most environmentally-responsible method of extracting lithium from solution and should suit the Cornish context”.

The pilot plant, commissioned at the end of March on budget and on time, is designed to process Cornish geothermal waters.

FUNDING

The pilot plant was funded by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership with £2.9m from the Government’s Getting Building Fund.

PROGRAMME

Cornish Lithium said that the pilot plant will initially test GeoLith SAS’s Li-Capt® DLE technology and process the 140 metresof deep geothermal water obtained during GEL’s testing at its own United Downs site last year.

“This is expected to confirm that lithium can be produced in Cornwall from geothermal waters, and the pilot plant is expected to provide sufficient information to enable the design of a commercial lithium plant in the county.

“During the course of 2022, different DLE technologies will be tested, utilising the pilot plant, with a view to establishing the preferred technology for future DLE plants in Cornwall.”

The company added that the pilot plant was designed to be as flexible as possible and was constructed in standard 6.1 metre (20ft) containers, enabling relocation to different sites to test new boreholes if required.

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