E3 Lithium Ltd. of Calgary, Alta. has signed a joint development agreement with Pure Lithium Corporation, a disruptive Boston-based vertically integrated lithium metal battery technology company.
E3 aims to build a portfolio of robust lithium production strategically located, minimizing the company’s impact to the environment to support the electrical revolution.
Under the agreement, the two companies will advance the design of a lithium metal anode and battery pilot plant in Alberta and complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment of a commercial lithium metal battery facility combining Pure Lithium’s patented vertically integrated Brine to Battery™ technology with E3’s vast lithium brines and concentrate production. The combined process eliminates the need to produce a lithium salt as an intermediary step and could provide a much more simplified process flow sheet.
E3 announced on June 29, 2022 that a lithium metal battery had been made by Pure Lithium from E3 lithium concentrate. At that time, the two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to complete further testing and validation work. Over the past two years, the companies have been collaborating and Pure Lithium has been using E3’s lithium concentrate to produce lithium metal cells that have higher energy density than today’s lithium-ion batteries, and do not contain nickel, cobalt or graphite.
The development agreement outlines initiatives over the next 12 months, as E3 and Pure Lithium will work together to complete a rigorous techno-economic model, to continue the joint scale-up efforts and to design a lithium metal anode and battery pilot facility to be built near Calgary, using lithium from concentrate generated by E3.
Through this work, E3 and PL will assess the technical and economic criteria of a commercial lithium metal battery facility that would be located adjacent to the lithium production in Alberta. Upon successful completion, the two companies will evaluate the next steps, which could include the operation of the pilot, designed to produce 200kg of lithium metal anodes that will be used in lithium metal vanadium rechargeable batteries. Further, upon successful completion of the pilot, the advancement towards the world’s first vertically integrated lithium metal battery technology.
“Integrating the E3 DLE flow sheet with Pure Lithium’s electrodeposition technology shows significant promise to deliver low cost, sustainable batteries that would be industry leading,” said Chris Doornbos, president and CEO of E3 Lithium. “We are very excited to be taking this next step with Emilie and her team to bring the battery out of the lab and into Alberta, an accomplishment that would be a major step towards a commercial Brine to Battery™ process.”
“Securing a supply of lithium is something all battery and battery material companies have historically struggled to do. We are doing things differently and solving this problem with trusted partners prior to the commencement of battery production”, said Emilie Bodoin, founder and CEO of Pure Lithium. “After two years of diligent work, E3 has continuously provided Pure Lithium with lithium concentrate and we are excited to use this concentrate as we scale. Producing our lithium metal anodes from concentrate dramatically reduces the cost of battery production and removing the need to prepare anodes for shipping will lead to increased performance in the battery. We are thrilled to be moving this project forward, and to continue working with the fantastic team at E3.”
For further information, click here.
Featured images credits: E3 Lithium
