Eramet launches pilot for direct extraction of geothermal lithium
French miner Eramet said today that the company and its partner Électricité de Strasbourg (ÉS) inaugurate a pilot unit for the direct extraction of geothermal lithium in Rittershoffen, Eastern France.
The company said the objective of this pilot is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the direct lithium extraction (DLE) process developed by Eramet in the real operating conditions of the geothermal power plant operated by ÉS and to confirm the sustainability of its performance over the long term.
According to Eramet, the first two pilots were installed at the Rittershoffen and Soultz-sous-Forêts power plants in 2020 and 2021 for the first test phases, which proved encouraging.
This innovative direct lithium extraction process, patented by Eramet, is already in place in Centenario, Argentina, where the mining group will soon commence operations at one of the largest lithium deposits in the world.
Industrial production of battery-grade lithium carbonate should begin in Q2 2024 and reach full ramp-up at 24,000 tonnes per year by mid-2025. Eramet will thus become Europe’s leading lithium producer by volume.
In Alsace, the two partners aim to be able to produce at least 10,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year from geothermal waters by the end of the decade.
Eramet is a manganese, nickel, mineral sands, lithium, and cobalt miner.
Électricité de Strasbourg has expertise in geothermal power generation.
