LI4LIFE: Novel domestic battery grade lithium carbonate value chain for green life.

The fact is that the lithium deposits within the EU are associated with different mineralizations in solid host rocks, except from the lithium brines of South America and Australia. These mineralizations require a special approach when processing and purifying happen up to battery grade lithium carbonate.

 

LI4LIFE project aims to create an efficient technology for the extraction of lithium from poor or complex ores of under-utilised deposits, as well as post-mining tailings, as the basis for the development of future clean energy. Reference objects is potentially viable lithium projects have been identified in Europe from Finland in the North, through Germany, Austria and Czech Republic in Central Europe, to Spain and Portugal in the South-West.

 

To cover the needs of the EU Battery Industry, LI4LIFE aims to contribute an ambitious objective to increase the EU domestic supply of local raw materials by at least 5% to upcoming 2030. This is possible by creating an innovative value chain for domestic lithium raw materials. LI4LIFE’s pathway to this ambition – novel processing methods, and purification up to battery-grade lithium carbonate to overcome existing barriers, namely the lack of a sustainable social licence to operate (SLO) and compliance with strict EU environmental laws.

Our main tasks

• Data collection on lithium potential deposits/projects across the EU.
• Mathematical approach/ model and digital twin as an alternative method to check and evaluate pilot test results.

Partners

AVERE | CROWDHELIX | EURO LITHIUM BALKAN | FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT | FUNDACION ICAMCYL | IBERIAN SUSTAINABLE MINING CLUSTER | IDENER.AI | MASARYK UNIVERSITY | MINING AND METALLURGY INSTITUTE BOR | MNLT INNOVATIONS | TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET BERGAKADEMIE FREIBERG | TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY | UNIVERSIDAD DE OVIEDO | UNIVERSITY OF OULU | VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND

Start date – finish date

03 / 2024 - 02 / 2027