Those people, claming there is "nothing new" in the ann "Rincon Clean Lithium Technology Update" should read the ann maybe twice.
First of all I am no expert like Jerko Zuvela, but t
he ann highlights the two key environmental factors which set our technology apart from other lithium carbonate producers :
>>
Low energy use – consuming estimated ~1MW for 2,000tpa operation and ~5-6MW
for 10,000tpa expansion operation.
>>
Low raw water consumption – estimated flow rate of ~6-8m3/h for the 2,000tpa
operation and ~40m3/h for the 10,000tpa expansion operation
Raw water consumption is one of the most environmental factors of all salares !
Only some hints from history: Many media speak of two million liters of brine per ton of lithium recovered.
"An often-cited source for this number is a statement from the magazine "Exactamente" from 2011. The forensic geologist Fernando Diaz stated there that the lithium concentration in the brine itself is very low and varies from salt lake to salt lake. He cites average values of 500 to 600ppm in the Salar de Uyuni and Salar del Hombre. From this he concludes: “Based on these values, one can estimate that for every ton of lithium extracted, around two million liters of water evaporate”.
Unfortunately, he does not go on with his estimate, as it is very imprecise and it can only be assumed that his figures are based on the 2011 study by the US journal "Economic Geologist". In this study, the researchers examined the brine at different locations and also stated the lithium content per liter. They came up with the same values. In other places such as the Salar de Atacama, however, the lithium concentration is much higher, so that instead of 2 million, only 0.4 million liters of water evaporate when lithium is extracted.
This water is not completely lost. Since the lithium is already extracted from the moist brine and the remaining water is pumped back into the ground. Some time ago, in a documentary on ZDF (TV), there was talk of 21 million liters of brine water that is pumped out every day in the Chilean Salar de Atacama for lithium production. According to the operator SQM's annual report, the system they are showing produces up to 130 tons a day, which ultimately turns into around 23 tons of pure lithium. The water consumption per ton of lithium is around 900,000 liters and thus well below a million."
Extract above taken and translated from an article by E-ON (German Electricity Provider)
https://www.eon.de/frag-eon/themen/e-mobility/article/e-auto-mythen-teil-3-dreckige-rohstoffe-fuer-saubere-autos--2/Our ann says:
"Raw water usage requirements are significantly reduced via recycling ~90% of the brine fedthrough the process plant, and is returned to the natural salar in a balanced/neutral state.The water usage method will ensure there is no impact on people, animals or naturalvegetation, and all raw water will be sourced from natural flows beneath the salar, whichwill otherwise evaporate naturally if not utilised, thus maintaining the equilibrium process atthe salar."
>> So taske this as
one environmental factor, which in my humble opinion is valuable !
I wondered, why hardly anyone commented on the second factor :
Low energy use.
So far only one person said, that "Energy for the 2,000tpa operation will be provided by the nearby gas pipeline."
But have all punters here missed the second message ?!
"The Rincon Lithium Project’s environmental credentials will also be boosted by the potential use of solar energy for the 10,000tpa.
The Company is investigating utilising electricity generated from the nearby Altiplano 208MW solar power plant (currently in construction).
This facility will generate 208MW (when operational) and potentially provide a valuable source of low emissions energy for the 10,000tpa expansion operation.
>> So taske this as s
econd environmental factor, which in my humble opinion is valuable !
So perhaps all of this is
"nothing new" in some people's mind, but my humble mind says:
Alone these two environmental factors are worth to remind of and are valuable for the progression of our process.
