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INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

A novel chemical extraction process to recover lithium

PENN STATE​

Partnership with Penn State University, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, to further develop novel patent-pending technology for direct extraction of Lithium from alpha-spodumene. The current process of lithium extraction requires calcination of the spodumene at a temperature of 1100 ℃ to transform the natural crystalline form of spodumene to its beta form which can be leached through a further acid baking process at 250 ℃. This is a costly and energy and chemical extensive process. Penn State University College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has a patent-pending breakthrough technology that offers a way to extract the lithium directly from alpha-spodumene with recovery up to 95%. This new process eliminates the calcination process significantly reducing cost, chemical consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Hertz has acquired the exclusive worldwide licensing rights to utilize this technology.

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Partnership Highlights

Patent-Pending process for Direct Extraction of lithium from a- spodumene

PCT/US2021/018727 applications filed by Penn State in 2021

Efficient process design allowing for reduced energy consumption, significantly lower CO2 emissions, reduced chemical costs and fewer facility components

Strategic partnership with Penn State University

Technology ready for pilot-scale testing

Exclusive license with global use rights

Conventional Process and Drawbacks

  • To extract Lithium (Li) from spodumene through conventional methods, the concentrate goes through high-temperature calcination at 1100 ℃ for 2 hours, during which αlpha-spodumene is converted to the relatively porous, more reactive and leachable βeta-spodumene.
  • This product then undergoes the sulfuric acid baking process at 250 ℃, producing Lithium Sulfate (Li2SO4) through ion exchange between H+ and Li+, which can then be readily dissolved in water followed by a purification process to reestablish the pH and produce lithium carbonate (Li2CO3)
  • High cost required for the energy-extensive high-temperature calcination process for the phase transformation of α- to β- spodumene.
  • Significant environmental impacts as it contributes to the high greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of Li extraction from spodumene (i.e., 9 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) produced, nearly triple that from the brine sector).
  • Concentrated sulfuric acid baking of β-spodumene in this method requires significant equipment investment and results in further emissions of acid gas.
  • Purification of Li from the acidic leachate requires significant chemicals to adjust pH.

Process Flow

Advantages of the novel patent-pending process

  • The Penn State process directly recovers Li from α-spodumene through NaOH and water leaching.
  • The developed process eliminates the high-temperature (1100oC) calcination process, and associated energy cost as well as Green House Gas emissions.
  • The process eliminates the high-temperature acid-baking process, and associated chemical cost, acid gas emission, and maintenance cost.
  • The leachate obtained from NaOH roasting and water leaching will have a basic pH, reducing the chemical consumption and cost in downstream purification process.
  • The process is fast, reducing the number and size of the process units, and associated cost.

Further stages of development

  • Hertz Lithium and Penn State will optimize the process parameters for maximizing Lithium recovery in water and conduct the kinetic study to obtain scale-up parameters for pilot-scale testing. Completion of this research project by Q1 2024 will bring the technology will be at technology readiness level (TRL) 4.
  • Following optimization, Hertz Lithium will develop a pilot-scale testing facility to demonstrate the prototype process and understand the scale-up efficiencies required for commercialization. Completion of this project by early 2025 will bring the technology to TRL 6
  • The economic assessment conducted in TRL 4 through 6 will provide the necessary information to understand the CAPEX requirements to bring the technology to TRL 9 (commercialization) as well as the day-to-day operating costs of the full scale facility.

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Contact

  • 1625 - 1185 W Georgia St, Vancouver BC, Canada
  • info@hertzlithium.com
  • 1-604-805-4602

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