Century Lithium is aiming to facilitate domestic lithium production in the US for the emerging electric vehicle and energy storage market.
Century Lithium, an advanced-stage lithium exploration company, aims to enable domestic lithium production through the development of its 100%-owned Clayton Valley Lithium Project in Nevada, US.
As the third most advanced lithium project in Nevada, the project is set to become a low-cost, large-scale, and long-term source of lithium.
A world-class resource of lithium-bearing claystone was discovered from work completed by the company. The deposit is located adjacent to the Albemarle Silver Peak mine – the only lithium brine operation in North America.
Currently, Century Lithium is processing material from its lithium project at its extraction facility in Amargosa Valley, Nevada. The company is moving toward the completion of a feasibility study and subsequent permitting.
By enabling domestic production of high-purity lithium carbonate, the company is well positioned to assist the US in its clean energy endeavours.
Why is lithium demand rising?
As countries around the world aim to reach their respective clean energy goals, demand for EVs, energy storage, and renewable energy technologies has soared.
Lithium is used in the battery technology needed to power these vital technologies. This is because lithium-ion batteries are safe, durable, and have a long-life cycle.
Currently, there is no metal that is set to replace this important critical mineral which is why demand is high and not set to decrease in the near future. According to public-private alliance Li-bridge, it is estimated that the global demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to surge more than five-fold by 2030.
Therefore, as lithium plays a crucial role in the clean technologies of the future, securing a supply of the material is essential.
Why is domestic lithium production important?
In the US, demand for lithium-ion batteries is predicted to rise more than six times by 2030. Because of this, in 2017, the country designated lithium as a critical mineral for strategic importance, vital for National Security and economic prosperity.
However, it is expected that the country will still be reliant on imports for supply.
According to the US Geological Survey, the country holds around 3.6% of global lithium reserves. Currently, the US’ only lithium producer is in Nevada and the world’s lithium production power is centred in China.
It is important to source domestic lithium production to ensure a smooth transition to clean energy.
An overreliance on lithium supplies could lead to supply chain vulnerabilities. This overdependence on other nations was highlighted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic causing lockdowns in China and all over the world, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
These global incidents, coupled with rising inflation and supply chain disruptions have shown that for the US to bolster a successful battery industry, domestic lithium production must be prioritised.
Century Lithium is helping boost domestic lithium production through its Clayton Valley Lithium Project – an extensive resource of lithium-bearing claystone totalling 5,585 acres in west central Nevada.
About the Clayton Valley Lithium Project
The Clayton Lithium Valley Project is located immediately adjacent to the lithium brine basin in the valley. It is well located with respect to roads, power, and water in the area.
Exposed at the surface, the lithium resource is sheltered from erosion by Angel Island.
The project’s favourable characteristics and location are benefitted by a large depository lithium claystone. This claystone is easily minable and amenable to modern processing.
With a long mine life of over 40 years, Century Lithium’s project is currently the third most advanced stage lithium project in Nevada.
Battery-grade lithium carbonate production grading 99.94% purity has been confirmed by the company.
Because of this, Century Lithium has a very favourable positioning in leveraging the current strong demand for lithium in the US, through its advancement of domestic lithium production.
The project is also set to benefit local communities in Nevada by providing many long-term employment opportunities.
Century Lithium is on track to complete a feasibility study by mid-year on its Clayton Valley lithium claystone project. A plan of operations is set to follow this.
Century Lithium’s Pilot Plant
For 17 months, Century Lithium has been operating a Lithium Extraction facility at Amargosa Valley, Nevada.
The existing extraction facility is permitted for operation and has management and operators in place.
Overall, the Pilot Plant aims to optimise lithium extraction to promote the domestic production of the critical material.
Results from the Pilot Plant are set to advance domestic lithium production
The company has successfully repeated steps from test mining through to the domestic production of battery-grade lithium carbonate.
The results for lithium carbonate material assays were finalised by Saltworks and SGS Canada Inc.
Century Lithium has also achieved a continuous 24-hour-per-day operation.
Extractions of lithium in leaching are between 83% and 85%, with the DLE process recovering 99.5% of lithium from the direct lithium extraction portion of the Pilot Plant.
Now, Century Lithium has confirmed that they are successfully producing 99.94% lithium carbonate battery grade purity with low-level impurities.
The company is making significant progress
In February 2023, Century Lithium announced a collaboration with Koch Technology Solutions, to apply the trademarked Li-Pro process for direct lithium extraction at the Pilot Plant.
The collaboration is set to advance the project through the testing of Koch’s equipment on the material obtained from Clayton Valley. Century Lithium and Koch aim to create a design to advance the process efficiently.
Koch will also provide engineering design and costs for the full-scale DLE portion of the company’s processing plant.
Now that Koch’s equipment has been delivered and is in operation, the Li-Pro process will be tested independently from the feasibility study set to take place.
The testing of Century’s Lithium process will bring a significant step in enabling domestic lithium production for use in the downstream manufacturing of EV batteries.
Looking to the future, the company is strategically placed to take advantage of the global rising demand for lithium and will play a significant role in facilitating lithium production in the US for the country’s pending electrification.
