Evonik Industries AG‘s (Essen, Germany) Catalysts business is supporting the next phase of Neptune Energy‘s (Hanover, Germany) Altmark Lithium Extraction Project (ALE) in northern Germany. Following successful preliminary testing, Evonik’s Liocel® adsorbent has been selected as the first material to be evaluated in the direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plant developed by Fraunhofer IEG (Bochum, Germany).
The Altmark region in Saxony-Anhalt contains a project-specific lithium resource estimated at 43 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). Neptune Energy plans to extract lithium from geothermal brine using DLE technology as part of its ambition to contribute to a resilient European supply of critical raw materials.
During Pilot Phase I, Neptune Energy evaluated several commercially available DLE technologies under Altmark-specific conditions, including ion-exchange and adsorption processes. Based on these evaluations, adsorption technology was selected for further investigation in Pilot Phase II.
For this test phase, Evonik has been selected to provide its Liocel® adsorbent following its demonstrated stability and strong performance in preliminary testing. In addition, Evonik is supporting the pilot program with application and process know-how on-site.
The pilot plant developed by Fraunhofer IEG enables oxygen-free lithium extraction and can process up to 1,000 liters of geothermal brine per day. In Pilot Phase II, Neptune Energy will test various adsorbent materials over the coming months to support the selection of an optimal solution for potential future industrial-scale deployment.
“We are pleased to partner with Neptune Energy and Fraunhofer IEG in this important next phase of the project,” said Michael Frey, Vice President and Head of Process Catalysts & Adsorbents at Evonik. “Together, we look forward to further evaluating adsorption-based lithium extraction under the specific conditions of the Altmark resource and contributing our technical expertise to the project.”