Century Lithium reported the successful addition of a lithium carbonate stage at its Lithium Extraction Facility (Pilot Plant) in Amargosa Valley, Nevada, which is part of the company’s 100%-owned Angel Island Mine.

Prior to this addition, concentrated lithium solutions from the Pilot Plant were treated by Saltworks Inc. at its facility in Richmond B.C. where samples of battery-quality lithium carbonate were produced. During the first days of startup of the lithium carbonate stage, Century’s team at the Pilot Plant successfully treated 200 liters of concentrated lithium solution and produced 20 kg of high-grade lithium carbonate onsite.

At this point in time, the ability to make lithium carbonate at our Pilot Plant is an important step forward, in line with recommendations from our recently completed Feasibility Study. The drop in lithium prices over the last year has taken a toll on the share price of all lithium companies. Despite the downturn, domestic production is still key to the security of supply in the US. While it is becoming well known that a vast amount of lithium is contained within the claystone deposits of Nevada, the benefit in unlocking these resources is the ability to produce a battery-quality lithium product onsite and thereby reducing or eliminating the need for downstream processing.

—Century President and CEO Bill Willoughby

The company continues work at the Pilot Plant, utilizing its patent-pending process for chloride leaching combined with Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) to generate data as the company works to identify further technological breakthroughs to make the extraction of lithium from clay more economic.

Adding the lithium carbonate stage at the Pilot Plant is one of the recommendations made in the Feasibility Study, not only to further demonstrate that battery quality lithium carbonate can be made, but to understand better and to minimize the recycle streams from the DLE stage through to final product in the process.

With the assistance of engineers from Hargrove Engineers and Constructors, Century’s team configured equipment to run 40-liter batches of concentrated lithium solution though precipitation, washing and drying steps. Final assays on the lithium carbonate are pending.