Pilot plant begins first phase operations

Pursuit Minerals’ (ASX: PUR) lithium carbonate pilot plant has begun the first phase of operations to produce lithium carbonate.

Commissioning work has been completed and Pursuit will now begin operations with the overall goal of producing battery-grade lithium carbonate. The pilot plant will look to produce an initial sample batch using synthetic brine of around 50-100kg of product.

The plant has been designed to run for both continuous and batch production for 12hrs per day at a utilisation rate of 91.5%.

Evaporated brine, which is currently being sourced from the stage one drilling program, will be used to produce around two to 10t of lithium carbonate which are anticipated to be battery grade product.

After this work, Pursuit will consider relocating the pilot plant to site following the completion of construction and filling of evaporation ponds to provide feed to the plant.

Pursuit managing director and chief executive Aaron Revelle commented on the commencement of operations.

“With plant operations now underway, we look forward to the production of the first lithium carbonate products,” he said.

“In conjunction with our stage one drilling program which is currently underway and the potential upgrade to our existing JORC resource, we continue to make significant progress on multiple fonts as we move toward becoming a lithium producer.

“To this end, we continue to progress the environmental permitting applications to commence construction of the evaporation ponds which is currently being targeted for the year.”

Pursuit’s engineering team is now finalising the pond layout and design for the 250tpa plant for the environmental permit applications for construction of the evaporation ponds. Subject to environmental approvals, the construction of the ponds is anticipated to occur in the second half of 2024.

Pursuit has also received several expressions of interest for offtake agreements for the initial 250t of lithium carbonate product.