Located approx. 100 km southeast of Kemerton, the Greenbushes mine will supply lithium concentrate to Albemarle’s new processing plant (Source: Metso)
Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) has been awarded a major contract to supply pyro-processing and comminution equipment for a new lithium-hydroxide processing plant at Albemarle Corp.’s Kemerton site near Bunbury in South Western Australia. The construction of this greenfield project started in January 2019 and production is scheduled to commence in 2021.
The plant will initially consist of three production trains, each producing 20,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of lithium hydroxide, with a potential expansion to five trains that will see production increase to 100,000 m.t./yr by around 2025. The plant will be supplied with lithium concentrate produced at the nearby Greenbushes mine.
Metso’s scope of supply includes state-of-the-art calciner and acid roaster systems, ball mills and off-gas handling systems, as well as other auxiliaries. Metso’s proven pyro-processing technology will deliver high lithium recovery with low fuel consumption. Orders were booked in Metso’s 3rd quarter 2018 and 1st quarter 2019 orders received, equipment deliveries are expected to begin in the second half of 2019.