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One of the world’s largest lithium reserves selects LG NanoH2O™ RO membranes for lithium extractionMar 23, 2023

Seoul, Korea. February 2023

LG Water Solutions, a business unit of LG Chem and manufacturer of NanoH₂O™ reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, announced the supply of more than 10,000 RO membrane elements to the Citic Guoan project, China's largest salt lake-based lithium carbonate production site. The project owner, TUS-Qingyuan, aims to produce 20,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually, enough lithium to build batteries for nearly 500,000 electric vehicles (EVs).

LG NanoH₂O™ RO membranes play a vital role in TUS-Qingyuan's advanced lithium extraction technology to recover lithium from the salt lakes. RO membranes can drastically reduce the processing time by concentrating the lake water in just minutes. This step enables lithium concentration at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional processes such as evaporation ponds, which can take up to years to achieve the same recovery but with a much larger land area and capital investment. LG Water Solutions has supplied its high-performance RO membranes to similar lithium extraction projects in China for several years.

Anticipating significant growth in the lithium production and reuse industry, LG Water Solutions is collaborating with Korea University to develop the next generation of membranes that selectively extract lithium as a part of a Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process. Conventional lithium production processes involve multiple physicochemical treatment steps to obtain lithium end-products. The lithium selective membranes aim to extract lithium from the salt lake directly, thus eliminating the need for complicated treatment processes (please refer to the diagrams below). The lithium selective membranes can significantly lower the carbon footprint of lithium production by simplifying capital-intensive production processes and increasing the separation efficiency. The lithium selective membranes are also more environmentally friendly, helping the lithium industry generate much less waste than conventional lithium production processes, which rely heavily on chemical treatments.

Dr. Hoon Hyung, President of LG Water Solutions, said: "With the thriving EV industry, global lithium demands are soaring. By combining global leadership in lithium-ion batteries and RO membranes, LG is pursuing innovative lithium production processes that are more sustainable and carbon neutral."

Note to the editor

To learn more about LG Water Solutions or to arrange an interview, contact:

Martin You

martiny@lgchem.com

Background

With the global energy transition gaining momentum, demand is growing exponentially for the lithium-ion batteries relied on to power electric vehicles and store energy for solar and wind farms.

Combined with existing lithium applications in everything ranging from ceramics, glass, aluminum production, and air treatment, it is fuelling a global lithium market that is expected to be worth nearly USD 6 billion by 2025.

As a result, sustainable and efficient lithium processing is fundamental to the future of the world's economy. Its extraction and processing from lithium-bearing brine lakes involve unique challenges to ensure reliability, sustainability, and regulatory compliance while delivering high percentage extraction.

Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) is a proven technology for extracting lithium from salt lake brine. The process usually incorporates a highly selective absorbent to extract lithium from brine water. The solution is further processed to concentrate lithium as lithium carbonate and hydroxide. Membrane separation technologies, such as reverse osmosis and nanofiltration, can be applied during this purification step. Utilizing its expertise in membrane research, innovation, and commercialization, LG Water Solutions is actively pursuing the development of lithium separation technologies applied to the DLE process. The commercial endeavour will focus on developing membrane materials that will help increase the recovery and purity of lithium while maintaining durability against acids and other harsh impurities in the lithium solution.

About LG Water Solutions

LG Water Solutions, a division of LG Chem, manufactures NanoH₂O™ seawater and brackish water reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements based on the breakthrough Thin-Film Nanocomposite (TFN) technology. TFN technology improves membrane performance by embedding benign nanomaterials on the membrane surface, increasing flux without compromising salt rejection.

NanoH₂O™ SWRO membranes deliver industry-leading salt rejection and up to 20% more flow than conventional RO membranes, significantly reducing the cost of desalination while producing superior water quality.

NanoH₂O™ BWRO membranes are engineered to lower OPEX through the intrinsic anti-fouling and durable membrane properties resulting in a lower total cost of plant ownership.

For more information, please visit www.lgwatersolutions.com.

About TUS-Qingyuan

A subsidiary of TUS Holdings, TUS-Qingyuan is the leading EPC contractor and operation service provider in China that offers a total solution for lithium extraction from salt lake brine to produce advanced energy storage solutions for the next generation of Electric Vehicles (EV). The firm has developed a proprietary Li-Mg separation process using innovative Microfiltration (MF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Nanofiltration (NF), and Reverse Osmosis (RO) membranes. They are the owner of the Citic Guoan lithium extraction project.

For more information about Tus-Qingyuan and the Citic Guoan project, please click here (article in Chinese): https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DOHMmKDsumnhQA9lLTwJDQ

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