E3 Lithium Limited announced it has successfully produced 99.78% pure battery quality Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate (LHM). The conversion process to produce LHM begins with further purification and concentration of the lithium concentrate produced through Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), leading to the production of lithium carbonate, as outlined on August 23, 2023. In earlier test work, the lithium concentrate produced by DLE was used to test the processes for purification, concentration and conversion to lithium carbonate.
The next step involves converting the lithium carbonate into LHM, followed by crystallization into the final salt form. The purity of the solid LHM is a critical factor for the sale of the product into the battery industry, with greater than 99.5% generally accepted to be battery quality. E3 Lithium is working with major equipment vendors to develop the downstream refining processes needed for a commercial facility.
The lithium concentrate that has been produced from the DLE field pilot plant operations will be used for continual development and testing of this refining process.
Source:batteryindustry
