Albemarle Corp., a global developer,
manufacturer, and marketer of engineered specialty chemistry, announced that it
has developed a proprietary technology for lithium extraction from brine.
This newly developed technology will allow the company to
recover lithium that is present in the brines at its Magnolia,
Arkansas
bromine facility and utilize it to produce lithium carbonate. The market for
lithium chemicals is expected to grow rapidly, reaching $1.2
billion globally by 2015, primarily from increased demand for batteries
in electrical vehicles. Using this new technology and brine from its bromine
production facility, Albemarle
has successfully produced lithium carbonate in a lab setting and is currently
operating a pilot plant to optimize the process. Commercial production could
begin as early as 2013.
“Albemarle has extensive
experience in brine management and recovery of products from brine,” said Dave Clary, Albemarle’s
Chief Sustainability Officer. “Our lithium recovery technology is an
extension of our technological know-how into a very attractive end
market.”
“Over 70% of the U.S. demand for lithium is
currently met by imports,” said Sharon McGee,
VP Performance Chemicals Division. “There is certainly a need for more
domestic production with the growing market demand and Albemarle is encouraged that we will be able
to meet that need.”
Albemarle Corp., www.albemarle.com
