Pilot plant test program to produce battery grade lithium hydroxide

Keliber Oy (“the Company”) has commenced test program concerning the production of lithium hydroxide.

The expected lithium demand, especially by European based cathode chemical, lithium ion battery and electric vehicle producers, is moving rapidly towards lithium hydroxide. Keliber Oy has commenced a test program together with Outotec Finland, targeting to test in pilot scale the production of lithium hydroxide. The pilot scale test campaign includes soda leach of calcined spodumene, solution purification by ion exchange and lithium hydroxide crystallization. Based on the test program, a process flowsheet will be established and optimized. Technical and economic studies will be carried out to evaluate the feasibility of lithium hydroxide production. The Company expects the test program and the studies to be completed during Q1 2019.

“As the cathode chemical producers of the batteries for the electric vehicles to an increasing extend prefer lithium hydroxide as their lithium raw material, we have initiated a test program to test the production of lithium hydroxide in pilot scale. An option to produce lithium hydroxide in the future, would increase our flexibility in satisfying the growing demand of our future clients. We are pleased to conduct the program with our long-term partner Outotec. We expect to receive results during the coming months and consequently assess the feasibility of battery grade lithium hydroxide production during the first quarter of 2019”, says Mr. Pertti Lamberg, CEO of Keliber Oy.

Further information:

Pertti Lamberg, CEO of Keliber Oy, tel. +358 50 5991 189