At Veolia Water Technologies, we help lithium producers and recyclers meet the technical challenges associated with the rising demand for efficient production or recycling of high-purity lithium and battery material salts for advanced electric battery manufacturing. As a worldwide leader in the supply of lithium brine treatment technologies and chemical processing systems, our experts design and supply complete lithium processing systems, from brine or leach solutions to the final product. We optimize our systems to minimize the carbon and water footprint of your installation.
Water and environment: challenges faced by the lithium industry
Extracting in water-scarce regions
Complying with stringent environmental regulations
Evaluating feasibility and validating processes for highly complex projects
How Veolia is committed to helping its lithium clients
As the global demand for renewable energy and electric vehicles surges, lithium has emerged as a vital element in shaping a sustainable and greener future. However, lithium production operations are intricate and sensitive, with evaporation and crystallization units being crucial components in lithium processing plants. These units are instrumental in determining lithium production and purity grade, which impact financial returns for investors. While there are various options to source them, engaging with inadequate suppliers can lead to costly schedule delays and budget overruns, especially considering the challenging environmental conditions often present at project sites for lithium mining.
We have the capability to design and supply complete lithium processing systems, from brine or leach solutions to final product, including:
- Battery materials purification and crystallization (LiOH, Li2CO3, LiCl, NiSO4, CoSO4, MnSO4)
- By-product recovery from lithium processing (KCl, Na2SO4, NaCl, K2SO4, H3BO3)
- Lithium brine pretreatment and concentration (metals removal, softening, IX, RO, NF, evaporation)
- Battery recycle and materials recovery
- Lithium extraction flowsheet support
- Lithium eluate concentration
- Solid and/or liquid separation
- Solids handling and bagging systems
- Zero liquid waste treatment
- Water recovery
Our process for executing projects
- Research and development (R&D), FEED studies and pilot testing
- Technology identification and process design
- Engineering and design
- Equipment supply and project execution
- Start-up, commissioning and performance testing
A preferred partner for project development
We are a reliable partner in the development of each unique lithium project. Combining expert process development and validation with early scope development provides you with options for achieving both optimum system performance and key business objectives.
Our R&D facilities allow for validation of the process approach and optimization of the design for confident removal of the various contaminants that exist in unique feed sources and to achieve the highest possible product recovery and purity. This, in conjunction with our engineering and worldwide project execution capabilities, allow us to support your project at every stage, from concept development to feasibility and FEED engineering, all the way through to project execution and commissioning.
This flexible approach makes us a preferred partner for FEED or phased engineering contracts for highly complex projects. With our comprehensive support, your project can move forward with assurance, efficiency and excellence.
Process development expertise
We have a long history of supplying systems for the purification, recovery and drying of inorganic chemicals utilizing our HPD® evaporation and crystallization technologies. Our state-of-the-art R&D capabilities optimize process design for efficient product quality and reduced performance risk. Unlike typical labs, we design and supply commercial equipment, taking responsibility for the processes developed. We offer complete process guarantees, scaling up from lab to commercial systems seamlessly.
For lithium-ion battery production, high-purity precursor materials are crucial. Our crystallization expertise and specific testing identify the right processes to achieve desired purity levels, even from unique sources with varying contaminant levels, especially for sensitive compounds like nickel and cobalt.
Applications
Lithium processing and recycling clients who already work with Veolia
The Naraha plant, a joint venture between Allkhem and Toyota TSU Corporation, converts lithium carbonate to produce 10,000 tons per year of battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate. We started by demonstrating the flow scheme at our testing facility and undertaking the engineering phase before overseeing construction and commissioning, which started in late 2022. By February 2023, the plant was already operating at a very impressive over 90% rate with on-spec battery-grade product.
Covalent Lithium has selected us as a partner on its Mount Holland Lithium Project in Western Australia to produce 50,000 tons per year of battery quality lithium hydroxide. Together we developed a state-of-the-art manufacturing process that takes spodumene ore as a feedstock. Our HPD® evaporation and crystallization technologies maximize lithium recovery, allowing 1 million gas-powered cars to be replaced by electric vehicles.
We have been selected as a partner for Li-Cycle’s lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Rochester, New York. The facility will help give life back to the equivalent of approximately 225,000 electric vehicle batteries per year by utilizing Veolia’s HPD crystallization technology to process recycled lithium-ion battery materials.
Discover our water treatment technologies for the lithium industry
Through our global sales network and local field service support, our world-class HPD® evaporation and crystallization systems have been the technologies producers rely on to extract the most high-purity lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and other cathode material salts while removing persistent impurities and recovering valuable chemical compounds containing potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.
We also provide ion exchange (IX) technology to remove impurities from the lithium brine prior to evaporation and crystallization of the lithium solution as well as precoat filtration technology that can be utilized in the purification step of the recovery of precious elements inside lithium-ion batteries.
We are active throughout the lithium market cycle, from the front end where we put together often first-of-a-kind systems addressing unique feedstocks to concentrate, purify, and ultimately crystallize and produce either lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. And we also cover the tail end, with the recovery of battery materials during the recycling process. We optimize and validate these rather complex systems at our testing facility to ensure the best quality and quantity output and to provide process guarantees.
Going full circle on this pivotal market is perfectly aligned with Veolia’s mission of championing ecological transformation, helping support the demand for cleaner, battery-based energy storage systems and electric vehicles.
Jim Rieke
Vice President Process Engineering, HPD technologies
Contact Jim through his LinkedIn account
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Services for our Lithium clients
FAQ about water solutions for lithium processing and recycling
What is lithium purification?
Lithium purification is the process of refining lithium from its raw or impure form to obtain high-purity lithium compounds suitable for various industrial applications, particularly in the production of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium, as a highly reactive alkali metal, is commonly found in nature in the form of lithium-containing minerals, brine solutions, and salt flats.
The purification process typically involves several stages to remove impurities and obtain a high-grade lithium product.
How is lithium processed?
Lithium processing typically involves several steps, depending on the source of lithium, whether it is extracted from mineral ores or obtained from brine solutions.
A general overview of the steps to process lithium include:
- Mining and concentration
- Chemical conversion or roasting
- Acid or alkali leaching
- Purification and impurity removal: The leaching solution is further processed to purify and remove impurities. Various techniques such as precipitation, filtration, solvent extraction, and ion exchange may be employed to separate lithium ions from other unwanted elements present in the solution. These processes help in achieving a higher level of lithium purity.
- Concentration and crystallization: The purified lithium solution is concentrated to increase the lithium concentration. Evaporation or other concentration methods are used to remove excess water, resulting in a more concentrated lithium solution. Crystallization is then employed to further purify the concentrated solution and obtain solid lithium compounds with a high degree of purity.
- Conversion to lithium compounds: The concentrated lithium solution or solid lithium compounds obtained from crystallization are further processed to produce specific lithium compounds based on their intended applications. Lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are common compounds derived from lithium processing, which are widely used in lithium-ion batteries and other industries.
Resources
- Guide: Lithium processing and battery recycling qualifications & experience
- Article: What are the 4 things lithium miners should look for when selecting an evaporation & crystallization technology partner?
- Press release: Veolia to Provide a Key Technology for Li-Cycle’s World-Class Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Facility
- Press release: Ioneer awards Rhyolite Ridge engineering design contract to Veolia
- Press release: Veolia selected by Toyota Tsusho and Orocobre to supply lithium refining technologies at their Naraha plant in Japan