Submitted by lk on Fri, 06/21/2024 - 12:10

Hamburg, Karlsruhe. LevertonHELM and EnBW have successfully produced lithium carbonate with a purity of > 99.5 per cent. In the joint demonstration project, EnBW initially extracted a lithium chloride solution from the thermal water of the geothermal power plant in Bruchsal, Baden-Württemberg, using direct lithium extraction (DLE).

LevertonHELM, a wholly owned subsidiary of the German company HELM AG, converted and refined this solution at its facilities in Basingstoke, UK. Due to its high quality, the lithium salt obtained in this way can be used directly to produce cathode materials for batteries.

Due to this success, EnBW and LevertonHELM have now agreed to continue their collaboration in close co-operation. The common goal is to further advance the sustainable production of battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide and to develop local resources for use in electromobility and energy storage.

Dr Thomas Kölbel, expert for research and development at the EnBW Group, says: "We need energy storage technologies to make the Energiewende a success. Lithium plays a decisive role in the expansion of electromobility and renewable energies. Together with LevertonHELM, we want to tap into this resource and create a sustainable source of lithium to meet the growing demand in Germany and Europe."

"Projects like this are crucial for the development of European resources and the establishment of local production of key raw materials that will support the energy transition in the European Union. The combination of EnBW's experience in DLE and geothermal power generation and LevertonHELM's expertise in lithium processing is a strong asset to accelerate progress in this area," says Bart Vanden Bossche, Commercial Director at LevertonHELM. "This project is a great opportunity for HELM to further strengthen its presence and participation in the European lithium-ion battery supply chain. We are making significant efforts to further develop our lithium processing capabilities to actively contribute to reducing Europe's dependence on lithium imports," comments Stephen Elgueta Wallis, Vice President Energy Materials at HELM.

"The water we are extracting at the Bruchsal geothermal power plant has remarkably high lithium contents. This opens a great opportunity for us to extract lithium as a valuable by-product of these plants regionally using environmentally friendly methods," comments Laura Herrmann, Project Manager Research and Development at EnBW.

 

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