Vulcan Starts Lithium Hydroxide Production From Geothermal Brine in Germany

Wedoany.com Report-Nov 13, Vulcan Energy Resources Limited (Vulcan) has announced the start of lithium hydroxide production at the company’s Central Lithium Electrolysis Optimisation Plant (CLEOP) located at the Industriepark Höchst in Frankfurt-Höchst, Germany.

From the downstream CLEOP facility, Vulcan will be supplying lithium hydroxide for the battery-grade qualification process with the company’s offtake partners including, Stellantis, Renault, LG, and Umicore. This process will take place simultaneously with the construction of Vulcan’s Phase One commercial plant.

Phase One of the project, designated Lionheart, will supply approximately 24,000 tonnes per annum of lithium hydroxide, enough for approximately 500,000 electric vehicles (EVs) per annum

The CLEOP facility complements Vulcan’s upstream Lithium Extraction Optimization Plant (LEOP) in Landau, which was officially opened in late 2023. The LEOP is where lithium chloride is produced from geothermal brine using the company’s Adsorption-type Direct Lithium Extraction (A-DLE) technology.

The Company’s Phase One upstream and downstream plants will exclude fossil fuels in both the extraction and processing of lithium. This makes Vulcan’s supply chain one of the lowest cost and lowest carbon footprint for lithium production globally. The Phase One process will also involve the co-production of heat and power from geothermal resource, the excess of which can be supplied to local communities.

Recently, Vulcan’s operations were assigned Dark Green by S&P Global Ratings, the highest ever received by a Metals and Mining company globally. S&P Global Ratings’ methodology includes six shades, with a Dark Green rating awarded to activities that correspond to the long-term vision of the low-carbon climate resilient future