Mangrove Lithium, a Canada-based lithium refining company, has announced a major expansion initiative with a second new lithium facility to address the increase in North American demand for lithium refining.
The company said that the facility will be capable of producing 20,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium per annum, which is enough to power over 500,000 electric vehicles a year.
It will integrate spodumene concentrate processing, which Mangrove Lithium said extends its electrochemical processing flowsheet upstream, which is a critical step to reorient parts of the lithium value chain that are dominated currently by Chinese processing infrastructure.
China has imposed an export ban on lithium processing and extraction technologies, which the company attributes as a reason to urgently seek localised alternatives.
Most of the lithium is processed in China, which the firm said means that global supply chains are at risk due to the restrictions.
Mangrove Lithium claims that its feedstock and electrochemical refining technology reduces the carbon footprint of the supply chain and eliminates waste production
Construction has already started on the company’s first lithium facility in Canada and is due to begin operations by the end of the year.
The lithium facility raised US$35 million in a funding round and will be located in Delta, British Columbia.
It has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with multiple US-based battery gigafactories, which cover offtake for 20,000 tonnes per annum of battery grade lithium.
Saad Dara, CEO and founder, Mangrove Lithium, said, “These MoUs reflect the accelerating interest from global customers who recognise Mangrove as a strategic partner in securing lithium supply.”
Image: Inside the pilot plant, previously operational at Delta, British Columbia. Credit: Mangrove Lithium.
