FCC

Atlas Copco WEDA pumps optimise lithium extraction process

2024-11-06

A mine in northern Chile has doubled its lithium extraction rate since installing Atlas Copco’s WEDA drainage pumps. Operators at the South American mine wanted to improve their lithium extraction process and turned to Atlas Copco’s distribution partner, TRILE, for expert advice and a reliable solution. In addition to optimising its process, the mine has also reduced its maintenance costs by 60 per ceent.

Lithium is crucial to global decarbonisation and the energy transition. It is an essential component for batteries, such as those found in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Demand for lithium is at an all-time high, with global demand expected to double between 2025 and 2030 to surpass 2.4 million metric tons. By 2035, demand is expected to reach 3.8 million tons[i].

In 2023, Chile accounted for roughly 24 per cent of global lithium production, estimated at 44,000 metric tons. This is a more than 15 per cent year-on-year increase.

Battery-grade lithium carbonate is produced by refining brine. Lithium extraction involves pumping brine from underground reservoirs to the surface and through a series of evaporation ponds. The brine level in each pond must be carefully controlled to achieve efficient rates of evaporation. Rapid evaporation is crucial to facilitating lithium’s concentration, and shallower ponds have a faster rate of evaporation.

The Chilean mine was achieving brine depths of 25cm in its ponds using existing dewatering pumps but wanted to reduce this level to improve operational efficiencies and optimise its lithium extraction process. Those responsible of the mine approached Atlas’s Copco’s regional distribution partner, TRILE, to find the most suitable solution.