GEA Group AG (Düsseldorf, Germany) will supply Advanced Metallurgical Group (AMG) Lithium GmbH not only with a pre-concentration plant but also with the key crystallization technology for the production of lithium hydroxide, one of the key raw materials for the battery industry. The battery-grade material produced in this plant is characterized by an extremely low content of impurities. The lithium hydroxide will be produced in a plant operated by AMG Lithium at Chemiepark Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. The first module will be commissioned in 2023 with an annual capacity of 20,000 tons of lithium hydroxide. According to AMG Lithium Managing Director Stefan Scherer, additional modules will follow in subsequent years, increasing capacity to up to 100,000 tons.
The availability of battery materials is the key driver for the sustainable success of the mega trends electromobility and stationary energy storage. The new plant will process the lithium hydroxide so that it can be used in the production for electric vehicle batteries. According to AMG Lithium, this is the first plant in Germany to be able to produce lithium hydroxide in this degree of purity.
GEA’s plant engineering scope for AMG includes pre-concentration, crystallization and drying of the crystals and comprises design, manufacture, installation and commissioning.
“Global demand for lithium is growing inexorably. Many of our customers are active in this promising market and operate corresponding plants. We would like to support them with our many years of expertise. Our extensive know-how in the realization of lithium processing plants has put GEA in an ideal position,” says Rob van der Steen, Head of Global Service Center Crystallization at GEA.