Anson Resources Limited (ASN: ASX), a mineral resources company focused on demand-driven commodities, has announced a significant milestone in its Green River Lithium Project in Utah, USA. The company, through its subsidiary Blackstone Minerals NV LLC, has successfully implemented a ‘polishing’ program to refine the lithium chloride eluate produced at the project. This critical step further removes minor contaminants from the purified lithium chloride eluate, which is essential for producing high-quality lithium carbonate.
The ‘polishing’ process, developed and tested at Anson’s Lithium Innovation Center, utilises nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange systems. These systems, manufactured in the USA, are now in continuous operation at the Green River facility, processing the 43,000 gallons of eluate generated by the Koch Technology Services DLE pilot plant. The company states that this process can beneficially impact the capital expenditure and operational expenditure of a lithium carbonate plant.
According to Anson, the ‘polishing’ process has demonstrated a major success in removing cations that could affect the lithium carbonate product during downstream processing. Following the polishing stage, the LiCl solution is concentrated using various technologies to further remove impurities such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and boron.
With the initial polished samples from the Green River Sample Demonstration Plant completed and undergoing concentration, Anson Resources remains on track to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate after the final evaporation and carbonation steps. This announcement was authorised for release by the Executive Chairman and CEO.