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(Sharecast News) - CleanTech Lithium announced the successful production of lithium carbonate with 99.78% purity from its pilot plant downstream process on Tuesday, exceeding the 99.6% benchmark for battery-grade lithium carbonate.
The AIM-traded firm said the milestone, achieved through a collaboration with Conductive Energy in Chicago, demonstrated the scalability and efficiency of its process design, which aimed to minimise steps while consistently delivering high-quality outputs.
Key processing steps included forward osmosis (iFO) to concentrate the eluate, contaminant removal, carbonation to technical-grade lithium carbonate, and post-carbonation polishing to achieve battery-grade standards.
The pilot plant, located in Copiap, Chile, faced temporary disruptions due to freezing weather in Chicago, which paused iFO operations.
However, the process continued using pre-carbonation solution produced before the weather-related pause, resulting in an eight kilogram batch of high-grade lithium carbonate.
Contaminant reduction was a notable success, with problematic elements such as calcium, magnesium, and boron reportedly reduced by 98.5%, 99.9%, and over 99.99%, respectively.
Further upgrades to the process, including the addition of nanofiltration for enhanced purification, were underway during the operational pause.
The board said the refinements aimed to improve efficiency and automation, ensuring reliable production of battery-grade lithium carbonate at scale.
In a separate development, CleanTech also announced its voluntary delisting from the US OTCQX market due to low trading volumes and associated administrative costs.
The company's shares remained listed on the AIM market in London, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the US OTC Pink Market.
"We are pleased to report the production of high grade lithium carbonate with a purity of 99.78% from an initial batch of concentrated eluate from our Laguna Verde project," said executive chairman Steve Kesler.
"This phase of work has focused on fine-tuning the process and preparing to scale up pilot plant output.
"Our collaborative efforts with Conductive Energy and Forward Water on the downstream process are advancing our aim to produce significant quantities of battery grade product to introduce to potential strategic partners and off-takers."
At 1330 GMT, shares in CleanTech Lithium were up 1.67% at 15.25p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.