Trelavour Hard Rock Lithium Scoping Study

这项范围研究将使康沃尔锂公司能够评估有关在康沃尔中试工厂规模生产“电池质量”氢氧化锂的工艺参数。氢氧化锂是电动汽车电池的重要组成部分，因此是英国电动汽车供应链的关键要求。用大众汽车集团的话说，“锂是电动时代必不可少的元素”。随着英国向电动汽车（ev）过渡，以实现2050年净零碳排放的目标，对锂离子电池的需求将迅速增加。锂最近被列入欧盟的“关键原材料”名单，原因是它在电池制造中的经济意义，以及它的供应链依赖于中国。法拉第研究所估计，到2035年，英国每年需要5万至6万吨碳酸锂当量（LCE）。2020年，首相强调了调查康沃尔郡已知矿床安全国内供应可能性的战略重要性。这与英国工业战略的清洁增长和未来移动的雄心相一致。锂的安全供应将为英国经济带来增值，并将减少对进口的依赖。这项可行性研究将包括采矿、矿物加工和湿法冶金试验的设计和工程，以在技术上冒险建设一个试点锂提取厂，从康沃尔郡St Austell的硬岩源中生产低碳、电池质量的氢氧化锂。该项目将加快康沃尔锂公司在3-5年内开始氢氧化锂商业化生产的雄心。英国地质调查局1987年的一份报告强调了康沃尔郡圣奥斯特尔中国粘土地区的锂潜力，但没有做进一步的工作。随后，锂成为锂离子电池的重要组成部分，因此在向脱碳经济过渡中发挥着至关重要的作用。现在人们认为，重新评估从这种来源生产锂的商业潜力对英国经济和国内汽车行业至关重要。考虑到新开发的提取技术，尤其是由Lepidico开发的技术，康沃尔锂公司在康沃尔的圣奥斯特尔地区拥有独家许可证，这一点尤其正确。获得Lepidico提取技术的许可，使康沃尔锂业能够在康沃尔直接生产电池质量的氢氧化锂。鉴于中国在锂电池化学加工领域的主导地位构成的竞争威胁，这被认为是英国经济的一个关键优势。

This scoping study will enable Cornish Lithium to evaluate process parameters regarding the production of "battery quality" lithium hydroxide at pilot plant scale in Cornwall. Battery quality lithium hydroxide is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries and thus a key requirement for the electrified automotive supply chain in the UK.In the words of the Volkswagen Group, "lithium is the essential element of the electric era". As the UK transitions to electric vehicles (EVs) to meet the 2050 Net Zero Carbon ambition, demand for lithium-ion batteries will rapidly increase. Lithium was recently added to the EU's "Critical Raw Materials" list based on its economic significance in battery manufacturing and a supply chain reliant on China. The Faraday Institute estimates the UK requires 50,000 - 60,000tpa of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) by 2035\. In 2020 the Prime Minister highlighted the strategic importance of investigating the possibility of a secure domestic supply from known deposits in Cornwall. This aligns with Clean Growth and Future of Mobility ambitions of the UK Industrial Strategy. A secure supply of lithium will be value accretive for the UK economy and will reduce reliance on imports.This feasibility study will comprise design & engineering for mining, mineral processing and hydrometallurgical testwork to technically derisk the construction of a pilot lithium extraction plant, producing low carbon, battery quality lithium hydroxide from a hard rock source in St Austell, Cornwall. This project will expedite Cornish Lithium's ambition to commence commercial production of lithium hydroxide within 3-5 years.A 1987 report by the British Geological Survey highlighted the lithium potential of the St Austell China Clay Region in Cornwall but no further work was done. Subsequently, lithium has emerged as a vital component of lithium-ion batteries and thus plays an essential part in the transition to a decarbonised economy. It is now considered crucial to the UK economy and the domestic automotive sector that the potential for commercial production of lithium from this source is re-evaluated. This is particularly true given newly developed extraction technologies, such as that developed by Lepidico, for which Cornish Lithium has an exclusive licence in the St Austell region of Cornwall. The licence to the Lepidico extraction technology enables Cornish Lithium to directly produce battery quality lithium hydroxide on site in Cornwall, which is considered a key advantage for the UK economy given the competitive threat of Chinese dominance in lithium battery chemical processing.