Objectives

Innovative solutions for a Sustainable Battery Value Chain

The LiCORNE project aims to establish the first ever Li supply chain in Europe, increasing the European Li processing and refining capacity for producing battery-grade chemicals from ores, geothermal and continental brines, tailings and off-specification cathode materials (waste). Such aim will be achieved by reaching specific objectives (SOs) considering five main technology stages:

Specific objectives

Develop technologies at TRL 4:

• Beneficiation technologies to increase Li concentration in pegmatites ore aiming to prevent 15% gangue entering downstream processes.
• Physico-chemical transformation of Li-pegmatite concentrates with non-acidic and low temperature process (~ 200°C) to facilitate downstream processes.
• Physico-chemical transformation of Li-pegmatite concentrates with non-acidic and low temperature process (~ 200°C) to facilitate downstream processes.
• Efficient extraction of Li contained in pegmatites concentrated and Li, Co and Ni from cathode waste, targeting 90-95% Li extraction while eliminating high-energy process such as calcination and sulfuric acid use.
• Separation and purification from leachates and brines, targeting 94-99% Li selectivity depending on feedstock
• Recovery of Li as battery-grade chemicals Li₂CO₃ or LiOH∙H₂0 targeting minimum 99% purity

• Benchmark the investigated technologies and upscale the most promising one to TRL 5 – production of ~1 kg of battery-grade Li chemical (i.e., LiOH∙H₂O, Li₂CO₃ or Li-metal)

• Communicate about the project’s activities in an effective way.
  Disseminate and exploit the project’s results.

 

The concept: 14 different ground-breaking technologies