Mining group Eramet said on Thursday it could produce 10,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year in France in a geothermal project with power company Electricite de Strasbourg (ES).
Eramet and ES in a statement announced an agreement to study potential production, which could start by the end of the decade, after obtaining lithium from geothermal waters in eastern France from exploration in recent years.
Eramet has added lithium to its activities as part of a shift towards minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries.
It plans to start producing lithium next year in Argentina in a joint venture with Chinese steel group Tsingshan, with an initial annual output objective of 24,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent.
Eramet is among companies testing geothermal extraction of lithium in the Rhine basin near the French-German border.
A final investment decision by Eramet and ES on production is expected within four years, they said, adding their targetted lithium output would meet demand for around 250,000 electric vehicle batteries per year.
The project could bolster French supply of lithium after mineral group Imerys last year announced plans to produce 34,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide annually from 2028 in central France.
Eramet is also planning to develop recycling of electric vehicle batteries in France with Suez.
(By Gus Trompiz; Editing by Jason Neely)
Comments
Young-kyum, Kim.
Dear “to whom it may concern”..
I am very thanks to you for your service.
Since 2011, the industry of mining was granted to the foreigners in South Korea, because domestic mining industry was gradually extinguished during last more than 30 years.
I wrote an article of Seoul Technology Information(Octo. 2015) in journal of Seoul City(in Korean) about possible Lithium mine in Korea(South), that is my column.
My major is mineralogy & Petrology.
Nowadays, there are no mine in South Korea since the Second World War(after the Japanese colonial period), therefore manufacture industries for any kinds of mine are not exist except limestone, especially mine related to 4th Industrial Revolution did not exist.
I found the Lithium bearing mineral, Polylithionite, in metasomatized stratum by XRD analysis at Korea(South). It exists wide range of more than 762Km2(with 150 to 250m thick & more than 254 mining lots to Korean standard). By the XRD results, I expect the content of Lithuim is min.2.5% to max.4.5%. So, I suggest to you to develop for these rocks of Lithuim in Polylithionite by your investment.
; 90% recovery,
Li2CO3=1,237,814(ton) x 5.28= 6,535,658(ton)
And the other element of praseodymium(Pr), one of the REEs was found in other location having granite area for ca. 60km2 range.
If you are interested in this article for details & these facts, give me a e-mail at current address for consultant.