Lilac Advances Pilot Plant Testing
Brisbane, Mar 18, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lithium explorer and developer Lake Resources NL (
ASX:LKE) (LK1:FRA) announced today that testing has been progressing of lithium brine samples from Lake's Kachi Lithium Brine Project using its U.S. technology partner Lilac's direct extraction ion exchange pilot plant module in Oakland, California.
Kachi brine samples have been used to complete the commissioning of Lilac's pilot-scale ion exchange module.
Lilac will then process the brine to produce high-purity lithium chloride for conversion to battery-grade lithium carbonate, from April onwards for prospective off-takers.
Backed by leading U.S. sustainability-focused investors, Lilac has previously demonstrated its ability to produce battery grade lithium carbonate with 99.9% purity, and very low impurities, which is a high priority for battery/cathode producers capable of attracting premium pricing (refer ASX announcement 9 January 2020). A pre-feasibility study (PFS) for Kachi is expected to be completed in the next two to three weeks and is anticipated to show production costs in the lower part of the global cost curve.
Lake's Managing Director Steve Promnitz said: "Given the well-known billionaire backing of funds supporting Lake's technology partner, Lilac, we are well underway to demonstrate high purity battery grade lithium carbonate coming from the direct extraction process, which is what battery makers are seeking.
"Investors have asked how the process works and how this fits into Lake's strategy, so we have undertaken a video interview to explain this in context. Once again, I would like to thank existing and new investors for supporting our capital raising amid extremely uncertain market conditions - this is truly a vote of confidence in the future of Lake and sustainable, scalable direct extraction technology."
The direct extraction process has been undertaken using brines from Lake's 100% owned Kachi project. This offers a sustainable solution for downstream battery makers by extracting lithium from brines using ion exchange without traditional evaporation ponds. Brine is returned to the aquifer once the lithium has been extracted without changing the brine chemistry. This addresses increasing interest from electric vehicle makers (OEM's) and battery makers to demonstrate they have access to a sustainable scalable supply chain for raw materials.
To view the release, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/P74ICVUP
About Lake Resources NL
Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising state-of-the-art ion exchange extraction technology for production of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project in Catamarca Province within the Lithium Triangle in Argentina among three other projects covering 220,000 ha.
This ion exchange extraction technology delivers a solution for two rising demands - high purity battery materials to avoid performance issues, and more sustainable, responsibly sourced materials with low carbon footprint and significant ESG benefits.
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