American Lithium Corp. (TSXV:LI | NASDAQ: AMLI | Frankfurt:5LA1) has announced results of on-going process work on TLC claystones aimed at continued improvement and optimization of all phases of the chemical process to produce lithium carbonate. The optimization work focused on leaching conditions and lithium recovery, minimizing lithium losses during neutralization and magnesium sulphate crystallization, and on increasing the LC purity in the precipitation stage.
Highlights:
- LC purity increased to 99.59% (up from 99.4%)
- Lower leach temperature of 50°C (down from 90°C), with continued high lithium extraction rates (95%)
- Significant potential for lower acid consumption
- Potential for lower lithium losses during impurity removal
- Further optimization work continues to refine flowsheet for PFS
- Process improvements expected to enhance project returns
Simon Clarke, CEO of American Lithium states, “We are very pleased with the latest optimization work on the TLC flowsheet as we move through pre-feasibility. The flowsheet continues to be refined with improvements and results that should improve on the already robust US$3.28B NPV for the project highlighted in the Company’s maiden PEA. We can make strong, rapid progress utilizing the expertise of TECMMINE in Peru, ANSTO in Australia and DRA Global, our Lead Engineers to drive TLC through the prefeasibility process. We also believe that our focus on large-scale projects in Peru and Nevada, which can produce high purity lithium products which do not need to be shipped overseas for upgrading or refining, best meets the critical need for secure supplies of battery metals in as fast a timeline as possible.”
Optimization bench scale test work has been on-going on the TLC flowsheet at TECMMINE Laboratories in Lima, Peru over the past several months since the TLC PEA was published. The work has been conducted under the supervision of chief metallurgist, José Malqui, president of TECMMINE, with technical input on test conditions from DRA Pacific. Leach conditions have been optimized using sulphuric acid leaching at 50°C achieving 95% lithium extraction in a two-hour leach cycle with 495kg/t acid consumption. This lowers the leaching temperature conditions from 90°C used in the PEA, with comparable extraction. These leach parameters resulted in lower acid consumption, which translates into lower limestone consumption during the pre-neutralization phase and a reduction in lime requirements during the neutralization stage.
Magnesium sulphate crystallization was improved resulting in 68% total magnesium recovery and minimizing lithium losses to 1.1% during this impurity removal phase.
The final lithium recovery through the entire hydrometallurgical process achieved in this single test is 84.8% with the highest lithium carbonate purity achieved to date from TLC claystone processing test work.
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