Vulcan Energy Resources has commenced production of climate-neutral lithium chloride at its lithium extraction plant in Landau, Germany. This milestone marks the first production of lithium entirely in Europe, a significant development for the continent’s sustainable energy sector.
The Australian-German company aims to extract lithium from geothermal brine, providing a local and sustainable source of lithium in Europe. Vulcan’s combined geothermal and lithium resource in the Upper Rhine Valley in Germany is the largest in Europe, positioning the company as a key player in the region’s lithium supply chain.
The Landau-based lithium extraction plant, known as the Lithium Extraction Optimisation Plant (LEOP), has been operational since August and is currently operating at a scale of 1:50 compared to the planned commercial lithium extraction plant. Despite its smaller size, the LEOP is equipped with nearly the same technology as the commercial unit and is used for product qualification, optimization, and training of the operating team in preparation for commercial production.
The LEOP follows Vulcan’s successful pilot plants in Insheim, where lithium chloride has been extracted from producing wells over the past three years. The recent feeding of brine into the LEOP in Landau marks the beginning of the actual extraction process under the company’s direction. Vulcan has achieved an extraction efficiency of up to 95% in extracting lithium from geothermal brine through its direct lithium extraction by adsorption (A-DLE) process, a result already demonstrated in its laboratories and pilot plants in Insheim.
Vulcan’s CEO, Cris Moreno, commented on the milestone, stating, “This significant milestone marks a pivotal moment in Vulcan’s journey towards revolutionising domestic lithium raw material supply for Europe’s Battery industry. Vulcan’s LEOP facility is equipped with world-leading technology designed to showcase the efficiency of our A-DLE process and environmental benefits, whilst training our commercial production team in a pre-commercial environment as we build the Phase One commercial plant.”
Vulcan plans to begin construction of the commercial lithium plant in Landau by the end of the year. Construction of the commercial processing plant in Frankfurt-Höchst, where the material will be processed into lithium hydroxide, is scheduled to start in 2025. The company aims to supply large quantities of lithium hydroxide to companies, including European car manufacturers like Volkswagen and Stellantis, by 2026 at the latest.
