E3 Lithium has successfully produced battery-quality lithium carbonate from Leduc brines using demonstration-scale equipment operated in its laboratory in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

The production of lithium carbonate achieved a battery-quality purity of 99.71%.  

The ability to produce reliable and consistent lithium carbonate at battery-quality specifications will be an important factor in attracting partners to the project.  

The E3 team produced the battery-quality lithium carbonate using lithium chloride concentrate produced from its pilot plant operations in 2023.  

The production process used the same conditions and equipment planned for the company’s full-scale lithium brine demonstration facility. E3 announced plans to build the demo plant in August 2024, noting in October that it would be “in operation in mid-2025". 

In phase one of development, the lab focused on commissioning reactors to produce lithium carbonate with consistency and reliability.  

Further work is planned to test various operating parameters ahead of the demonstration facility operations, with E3 to announce further developments over the coming weeks. 

Chris Doornbos, president, and CEO of E3 Lithium, said: “Outlining consistent success through each of the development steps is significant as we prepare for the demonstration.  

“Developing battery-quality lithium carbonate at this scale brings us closer to proving Alberta’s potential as a reliable source of lithium production, ready to meet market demand," Doornbos added. 

Calgary has predominately been known for its gas and oil industry but has become a hotspot for lithium extraction in recent years. In 2024, LithiumBank launched one of the biggest direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plants in North American in Calgary. 

Additionally, E3 and Pure Lithium partnered to develop a battery plant in Calgary in August 2024. This partnership integrates Pure Lithium’s Brine to Battery technology with E3’s lithium brines and concentrate production, aiming to simplify the process flow sheet and providing pure Lithium with brine to convert into battery electrodes.