Lithium Power International has produced lithium carbonate with a 99.92% purity battery grade at its Maricunga lithium project.
Lithium Power International Limited (LPI) has announced the results from the latest optimisations introduced to the Maricunga lithium production process in January 2022. This was part of the project’s updated Definitive Feasibility Study. Lithium carbonate, with a purity of 99.92%, was produced from original, concentrated brine from the company’s test evaporation ponds at Maricunga. This significantly exceeds the industry standard specifications for battery-grade lithium carbonate of 99.5%.
Further testing of the lithium carbonate
The company also conducted a relevant test to measure the Loss of Ignition (LOI). This was carried out for 30 minutes at 500 °C, showing an LOI of 0.2%, resulting in a lithium carbonate with 99.72% purity.
As announced in the March 2022 Quarterly Report released to ASX on 29 April 2022, concentrated brine had been sent to LPI’s technological partner GEA Messo to test production processes. IBZ-Salzchemie GmbH & Co KG, an independent certified laboratory in Germany, conducted this work under GEA’s supervision, aiming to produce up to 10kg of battery-grade lithium carbonate.
The company’s next steps
Now, samples will be sent to potential off-takers for due diligence as part of the ongoing Maricunga finance process. The formal Analysis Certificate and a visual description of the sample lithium carbonate have been provided by IBZ-Salzchemie GmbH & Co. KG, which has been verified internally by Lithium Power International’s Chilean team.
Lithium Power International’s Chief Executive Officer, Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro, commented: “We are very pleased with these positive results from our latest testing activities. Not only do they confirm the high quality and consistency of our product, but also the sustainability of our process. We are confident that those results will be welcomed by potential off-takers participating in the financing process of the Maricunga project.”
