Page 167 - CW E-Magazine (9-7-2024)

News from Abroad

SECURING SUPPLIES
ExxonMobil and South Korean battery maker,

SK On, ink MoU for lithium supply

ExxonMobil has signed a non-binding into battery-grade material onsite in core capabilities in subsurface explo
memorandum of understanding (MoU) Arkansas. This approach aims to pro- ration, drilling, and chemical processing,
with SK On, a South Korean electric duce lithium more efficiently and with offering US EV battery manufacturers a
vehicle (EV) battery developer, that opens fewer environmental impacts than tra- more secure, lower-carbon lithium sup-
the door to secure a multiyear offtake agree- ditional hard rock mining. ply option. Through the appraisal drill-
ment of up to 100,000 metric tons of Mobil ing programme and technology pilot
branded lithium from the company’s first “The world needs more lithium to using Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE)
planned project in Arkansas, USA. support its emissions goals, and we’re technology, ExxonMobil has successfully
doing our part to drive solutions for- produced lithium carbonate from the
SK On plans to use the lithium in its ward in the US,” said Mr. Dan Ammann, Smackover formation in southern Arkansas.
EV battery manufacturing operations in President of ExxonMobil Low Carbon In the US, SK On currently operates two
the US. This will contribute to Exxon- Solutions. “This collaboration with SK battery plants in Commerce, Georgia, and
Mobil’s goal, announced in late 2023, On demonstrates the leading role we is building four more plants through joint
of supplying lithium for about one play in the growing market for domes- ventures with Ford Motor Co. and Hyun-
million EV batteries annually by 2030 tically sourced lithium, a market that’s dai Motor Group. After 2025, the annual
and support the build out of a US EV advancing energy security and climate production capacity of SK On in the US
supply chain. The planned ExxonMobil objectives, as well as supporting American alone is expected to reach more than 180
project will extract lithium from under- manufacturing.” Planned production of GWh, which is enough to power about
ground saltwater deposits and convert it Mobil Lithium will use ExxonMobil’s 1.7-million EVs a year.

DIRECT LITHIUM EXTRACTION
German firms demonstrate eco-friendly high-purity

lithium salt production

German firms – LevertonHELM LevertonHELM have agreed to con- and establishing a local production
and EnBW – have successfully pro- tinue their collaboration. The common footprint of critical raw materials that
duced lithium carbonate with a purity goal is to further advance the sustainable will support the European Union’s
of more than 99.5 percent. In the joint production of battery-grade lithium energy transition. The combination
demonstration project, energy supplier, carbonate and lithium hydroxide and to of EnBW’s experience in DLE and
EnBW, initially extracted a lithium develop local resources for use in electro- geothermal power generation and
chloride solution from the thermal mobility and energy storage. Dr Thomas LevertonHELM’s lithium processing
water of the geothermal power plant in Kölbel, expert for R&D at the EnBW expertise is a strong asset to accelerate
Bruchsal, Baden-Württemberg, using Group, said, “We need energy storage progress in this field,” added Mr. Bart
direct lithium extraction (DLE). technologies for the energy transition to Vanden Bossche, Commercial Direc-
succeed. Lithium plays a decisive role tor at LevertonHELM. “The water that
LevertonHELM, a fully owned sub- in the expansion of electromobility and we extract at the Bruchsal geothermal
sidiary of chemicals group, HELM, con- renewable energies. Together with power plant has a remarkably high lithium
verted and refined this solution at its LevertonHELM, we want to tap into this content. This opens up a great oppor-
facilities in Basingstoke, UK. Thanks to its resource and create a sustainable source tunity for us to extract lithium as a
high quality, the lithium salt obtained in of lithium to meet the growing demand valuable by-product of these plants re-
this way can be used directly in the pro- in Germany and Europe.” gionally using environmentally friendly
duction of cathode materials for batteries. methods,” said Ms. Laura Herrmann,
“Projects like this are essential for Project Manager Research and Deve-
Based on this success, EnBW and the development of European resources lopment at EnBW.

Chemical Weekly July 9, 2024 167

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