CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL), an AIM-listed explorer developing lithium projects in Chile, said Dallas-based Empower EIT processed roughly 55,000 litres of eluate from its Laguna Verde direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plant in Copiapó into approximately 330kg of high purity lithium carbonate.
Laboratory results across five carbonation batches showed purity climbing to 99.91% in the final run, with an additional 250kg of lithium carbonate held in recycle fluids from pre-treatment and carbonation stages.
The nanofiltration stage used DuPont's latest FilmTec LiNE-XD membranes, while boron, the main contaminant in post-DLE processing, was cut by approximately 97% through ion-exchange and thermal polishing.
"The results from this pilot project represent a significant milestone with the collaboration with Empower, producing a large test volume of high purity lithium carbonate from our Laguna Verde project", said chief executive Ignacio Mehech.
The company is running parallel workstreams to build toward a definitive feasibility study (DFS): a process validation pilot with Xian Lanshen New Material Company in Santiago, adsorbent benchmarking in France with Hephaistos Insights, and a spent brine reinjection study led by Zelandez to support sustainable development at Laguna Verde.
Results from the Lanshen pilot's final carbonation stage, targeting a 5kg lithium carbonate sample against Chinese battery-grade standards, are due to be reported once independent laboratory testing is complete.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
CleanTech Lithium's Dallas partner Empower has successfully converted 55,000 litres of eluate from the Laguna Verde DLE pilot into 330kg of battery-grade lithium carbonate, with the final batch reaching 99.91% purity—a technical validation that the company's direct lithium extraction process can produce specification-grade product at scale. This is a material step toward the definitive feasibility study, moving the project from concept to demonstrated chemistry and process control.
- Empower EIT's successful processing of large eluate volumes suggests the downstream conversion pathway is viable; results may strengthen CleanTech's hand in securing a strategic partner or project financing, both stated near-term priorities.
- Parallel workstreams with Xian Lanshen (Santiago), Hephaistos Insights (France), and Zelandez (brine reinjection) are advancing in parallel; Lanshen results remain pending independent lab testing and will be a next near-term data point.
The company has moved from pilot concept to demonstrated high-purity output, reducing technical risk on the core DLE-to-carbonate conversion chain. However, the path to production still depends on CEOL regulatory approval (now expected H2 2026) and securing a strategic financing partner; this trial result alone does not de-risk those capital and permitting gates.
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