Successful lithium production Vulcan Plants.
Vulcan is building several plants to execute its Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project.
Lithium Extraction Pilot Plant Vulcan pilot plant.
Since the beginning of 2021, Vulcan’s Lithium Extraction Pilot Plant has been in continuous and successful operation at multiple well locations to de-risk the lithium production process. The aim of operating the pilot plant was to test and optimise the process of Direct Lithium Extraction with our sorbent VULSORB®.
10,000s of hours of successful in-house pilot plant performance
Showing >90% lithium recoveries
1000s of cycles of sorbent life with no degradation.
Lithium Extraction Optimisation Plant Vulcan LEOP.
Vulcan’s LEOP stands as a substantial investment by the Company, with a scaling factor of merely 1:50 in comparison to the envisioned Phase One commercial plant, considering column size. LEOP to be formally opened the second half of November and is anticipated to produce the first tonnes of lithium chemicals from brine in Europe by the end of 2023. LEOP is built to start sending significant volume of product (i. e. LiCl solution) to Central Lithium Electrolysis Optimisation Plant (CLEOP) to make Battery Grade LHM.
Central Lithium Electrolysis Optimisation Plant Vulcan CLEOP.
- Both optimisation and commercial plants will be located at the Höchst Chemical Park.
- Optimisation plant under construction, planned to start operation in Q1 ‘24, training staff in pre-commercial operational setting of (i) the electrolysis from LiCl to LHM solution; (ii) LHM crude and pure crystallisation; and (iii) LHM drying.
- Optimisation plant built to start sending volume of product to offtakers for pre-qualifications testing.
Renewable energy plant Vulcan Geothermal Plant.
Geothermal plant to be built in collaboration with the City of Landau.
- Initially planned to produce mostly power, Vulcan’s new geothermal plant will increase heat production over time.
- Vulcan is negotiating a heat offtake agreement with the City of Landau to help them to decarbonise and localise their heat supply and move away from fossil gas.
- The City of Landau has publicly stated they are negotiating the sale of the “D12” area with Vulcan, an area they are currently converting from farm to industrial and commercial land.
Lithium Extraction Plant Vulcan LEP.
Phase One commercial: Lithium Extraction Plant
- Building permit submitted in November 2023, in line with Vulcan’s timeline.
- Will be constructed next to new Phase One Geothermal Plant in Landau.
- Total targeted capacity to be 24,000tpa LHM equivalent in LiCl form.
- From the LEP, LiCl solution will be transported to the CLP at Industrial Park Höchst (Frankfurt).
- Modular build allows for further phased development across other phases in Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field (URVBF).
Central Lithium Plant Vulcan CLP.
- CLP planned to be located in Frankfurt (Industrial Park Höchst). Close to 100,000sqm secured.
- Targeted 24,000tpa LHM capacity with space for further modular expansion.
- Conversion of LiCl to battery grade LHM using electrolysis. Only by-product (saleable) is HCl. Significant synergies with existing chlor-alkali producers in the same chemical park, e. g. Nobian.
- Recycle of purge streams back to LEP – low waste.
- Höchst is one of Europe’s largest industrial estates and is home to around 90 chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
- Infraserv (industrial park operator) contracted to supply power, utilities and services.
Industry water and brine cycle piping Site infrastructure.
- Vulcan will use an intermediate heat exchangers at each well sites to transfer the heat from the geothermal brine into a closed loop industrial water cycle, which will send hot water by pipe to the district heating building and ORC facilities. Once the heat has been used at the district heating building and ORC, the then cold water is sent back to the heat exchanger.
- The cooled Li-rich brine is sent from the intermediate heat exchanger to the LEP for lithium extraction to occur and then the Li-depleted brine pumped back to the well site for injection into the reservoir.
- This approach has major operational advantages, mainly that the hot industrial water feeding the district heating and ORC system uses clean water and therefore there is no risk of scaling, and seeing as the brine is cooled at the intermediate heat exchanger then this significantly reduces the potential for scale in the pipeline and LEP.
