A significant portion of the energy and cost requirements in the production of lithium-ion batteries stems from the cost of converting lithium sulfate or lithium chloride into lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) of sufficient purity for battery use. Noram Electrolysis Systems, Inc. (NESI; Vancouver, B.C., Canada; www.nesi.tech) was awarded funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; www.natural-resources.canada.ca) to support the commercialization of lithium hydroxide production by electrolysis, including the development of a dedicated lithium-electrolysis testing center with extensive brine-treatment infrastructure where the company can use its Norscand electrolyzer to produce battery-grade LHM.
NESI
“In 2017, we started running, as far as we’re aware, what is the world’s first commercial-scale membrane-electrolysis cell to produce lithium hydroxide from lithium sulfate at Nemaska Lithium’s P1P demonstration plant in Shawinigan, Quebec, and then at our large-scale pilot plant in Richmond, B.C. Following this, we modified our large-scale pilot plant to operate a commercial-scale membrane electrolysis cell to produce lithium hydroxide from lithium chloride brine as well. Now, with the new testing center to be located nearby, we’ll be able to bring in brines and other lithium resources from around the world to this facility and process them into tonnage quantities of LHM, which then can be used for running battery production trials to validate the product and to confirm design criteria for engineering of industrial production facilities,” says Jeremy Moulson, president and CEO of NESI.
In a Norscand electrolyzer, lithium solution (anolyte) and the product lithium hydroxide (catholyte) are circulated through the electrolyzer’s two compartments. When direct-current power is applied and the current flows through the electrolyzer, the reaction to form lithium hydroxide occurs. “The system can handle both brine and spodumene-based feed inputs, as well as streams from battery-recycling facilities,” adds Moulson, also noting that the system can process either a lithium sulfate or lithium chloride feed with minimal changes to the electrolysis cell, and that cells can be customized with more than two compartments as needed for both lithium and other processes.
NESI’s electrolyzers are already being put into action processing lithium-chloride brine into high-purity LHM at the Vulcan Energy Resources GmbH (Karlsruhe, Germany; www.v-er.eu) Zero Carbon Lithium geothermal project in Germany, which began commissioning in August. Once full-scale production begins at this site, it will represent Europe’s first battery-grade lithium hydroxide product sourced from a European lithium resource. Offtake partners include Stellantis, Umicore, LG Energy Solutions, Renault Group and Volkswagen.
For more on lithium processing, see our cover story Lithium Landscape: Activity is Charging Forward in the U.S.