Neptune Energy Launches Pilot Phase II to Extract Lithium from Altmark Brine

Neptune Energy launches Pilot Phase II for lithium from the Altmark region

Neptune Energy’s lithium project in the Altmark region has reached its next milestone. Following an evaluation of various technologies for lithium-extraction" class="tag-link text-primary font-medium">direct lithium extraction (DLE), the company is working with Fraunhofer IEG in Pilot Phase II to optimise the adsorption process and test different adsorbent materials for future industrial use. Northern Saxony-Anhalt is home to one of the world’s largest project-related lithium resources, with proven reserves of 43 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). Lithium is dissolved in brine at depths between 3,000 and 4,000 metres. This brine is found in the fine pore spaces of rock. Neptune plans to produce the brine via wells and to extract the lithium using DLE.

Joachim Sluet, Midstream Manager and head of pilot projects at Neptune Energy, explains:

During Pilot Phase I last year, we investigated various DLE technologies available worldwide to assess their suitability for the conditions in the Altmark region.

”Following tests using ion-exchange and adsorption processes, adsorption technology proved to be the most promising for the conditions in the Altmark region. We now intend to further develop this process in collaboration with Fraunhofer IEG,”

In Pilot Phase II, various adsorbent materials will be tested and evaluated over the coming months in a pilot unit for lithium-extraction" class="tag-link text-primary font-medium">direct lithium extraction developed in collaboration with Fraunhofer IEG. Evonik Catalysts has been selected to supply the adsorbent material for the first test phase, having demonstrated its stability and performance in preliminary trials. In addition, Evonik is supporting the pilot programme by providing on-site application and process expertise. Adsorbents are designed to selectively adsorb (attract) lithium ions from the brine. The lithium is then desorbed (separated) from the adsorbent, producing a solution with a high lithium content: lithium chloride. This can be processed in further steps to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide monohydrate – the raw material for the European battery and electric mobility industry.

The pilot unit, developed in collaboration with Fraunhofer IEG, enables the extraction of lithium in an oxygen-free environment, with a processing capacity of up to 1,000 litres of thermal water per day. Thanks to three adsorption columns operating simultaneously, the adsorption (attraction) and desorption (release) of the lithium ions can take place almost simultaneously.

Dr Axel Wenke, Director of New Energy & Business Development, adds:

The DLE pilot unit developed in collaboration with Fraunhofer IEG is providing us with important insights into selecting the optimal adsorbent material for the brine from the Altmark region.

”This brings us another step closer to industrial-scale lithium production from the Altmark region,”

A project for European raw materials resilience

Through the Altmark Lithium Extraction Project (ALE), Neptune Energy aims to contribute to the domestic supply of critical raw materials and to the development of resilient European supply chains.

Commercial lithium production is set to begin gradually from 2030. The aim is to produce up to 25,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) annually in the 2030s. This corresponds to the lithium required for the batteries of around 500,000 electric vehicles per year.

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Neptune Energy launches Pilot Phase II for lithium from the Altmark region, source