Rock Tech Lithium has secured about 250,000 euros ($274,000) in German government funding for a research project aimed at improving lithium yields at its converter facility in Guben, the company said on Tuesday.
The initiative, called ELiSePro – short for “Efficient lithium recovery using selective processes” – will be conducted in partnership with RWTH Aachen University. The study will compare ion separation methods, including nanofiltration, capacitive deionisation and lithium ion sieves, to minimise losses in the conversion process. The results will be assessed on economic and technological grounds before being applied at industrial scale, and may be published or patented, the partners said.
“This funding supports the technological advancement of the German and European battery industry – and even [though] it’s a relatively small amount, it’s an important step towards building additional know-how for strengthening security of supply for critical raw materials and building sustainable value chains in Europe,” said Mirco Wojnarowicz, Rock Tech’s chief executive.
The funding follows the European Commission’s March decision to designate the Guben converter as a strategic project under the Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims to secure and diversify access to raw materials in the EU. Rock Tech has also received up to 100 million euros in subsidies for its planned German lithium refinery.
Separately, the company has been awarded 800,000 euros through the EIT RawMaterials KAVA programme for a project named “OLiVer,” which focuses on refining the lithium conversion process and improving lithium hydroxide monohydrate production. That work involves Rock Tech’s Guben subsidiary and partners including the National Technical University of Athens, Belgian research organisation VITO, and Greek firm Admiris.
