Page 160 - CW E-Magazine (20-2-2024)

News from Abroad

PROJECT UPDATE
Li-Metal completes concept study for carbonate-to-metal

lithium plant

Canada-based developer of lithium dition to eliminating chlorine gas
metal anode and lithium metal produc- by-product, the conceptual plant’s
tion technologies, Li-Metal Corp., has GHG emission footprint would be well
completed a concept study for what the below the required reporting levels
company said could be the world’s first under the relevant regulatory frame-
carbonate-to-metal lithium plant. work in Canada and the US.

Currently, the primary method for plant is expected to produce minimal The concept study envisages com-
producing lithium metal involves con- GHG emissions,” Li-Metal’s CEO, pletion of all piloting, scale-up, study,
verting lithium chloride. However, this Mr. Srini Godavarthy, said in a statement. engineering, and construction activities
chemical compound is scarce and emits in 48 months for a commercial-scale
environmentally harmful chlorine gas. “We are currently discussing sup- plant.
Li-Metal’s technology involves using ply, investment and partnership op-
a molten salt bath to convert lithium portunities with Inflation Reduction Currently, about 3,000-tpa of bat-
carbonate, which is far more abundant Act (IRA) compliant lithium carbonate tery-grade lithium metal are produced
than chloride, into lithium metal. Once producers as well as next-generation globally, with more than 95% of that
in production, the facility would have a battery OEMs. We also remain actively production concentrated in China,
capacity of up to 1,000-tpa. involved in discussions with state/pro- according to Benchmark Mineral Intel-
vincial officials to evaluate the feasibi- ligence. According to a market report
“The results of the study corro- lity of constructing a commercial plant by McKinsey, by 2030, the demand for
borated the viability of our vision and, at a brownfield site in North America,” lithium metal is projected to increase to
importantly, further demonstrated that, he added. between 21,000-40,000 tonnes per year
in addition to reducing harmful chlorine to support the production of next-gene-
gas by-product, a commercial-scale According to the company, in ad- ration batteries.

GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
AGC setting up fluorinated ion-exchange membranes

facility in Japan

Japan’s AGC, which is active in the
fields of chemicals, glass, electronics,
and ceramics, has announced it will
construct a new production facility
for its Forblue S-Series of fluorinated
ion-exchange membranes suitable
for producing green hydrogen at its
Kitakyushu site in Japan.

AGC will invest approximately 15- proximately 30-billion Japanese yen in ation of sodium bicarbonate produc-
billion Japanese yen (around $100-mn) fiscal 2030. tion in 2002. It will be the AGC’s third
for the new facility, which is scheduled chemical production site in Japan, fol-
to start operation in June 2026. After The new plant will be AGC’s first lowing the Chiba and Kashima plants.
further capacity expansion, AGC aims chemical plant to operate in Kitakyushu
to achieve Forblue S-Series sales of ap- City in 24 years since the discontinu- Green hydrogen is produced by water

160 Chemical Weekly February 20, 2024

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