The Ruggero Bertani award recognises Vulcan Energie Ressourcen's innovative project, the Lithium Extraction Optimisation Plant (LEOP) from geothermal, designed to revolutionise the production of sustainable lithium in Europe.
LEOP stands as a pioneering initiative, marking the first production unit to extract lithium from geothermal, in a green manner. This innovative plant, inaugurated in 2023, situated in Europe, achieves a TRL of 7/8, enabling large-scale production of lithium chloride (LiCl) from geothermal brine, with an impressive annual output of 40t of green lithium hydroxide. LEOP has the capacity to fuel the creation of approximately 850 electric car batteries annually.
The innovation of LEOP extends beyond its production capabilities. It boasts a climate-neutral footprint and offers substantial environmental benefits over traditional production methods. Moreover, LEOP's strategic utilisation of geothermal energy presents an additional revenue stream by supplying energy to customers via electricity generation, heating supply to buildings or to industry.
The Upper Rhine Graben harbours abundant geothermal lithium reservoirs, and the LEOP approach capitalises on this resource. Through a sophisticated absorption process known as Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), Vulcan Energie Ressourcen extracts lithium chloride from geothermal, and optimises energy usage, making it a landmark achievement in sustainable resource utilisation.
We have gone a long way to the success of having the first green lithium in Europe
Horst Kreuter, MD of Vulcan Energie Ressourcen said: "We are happy to have been awarded the Ruggero Bertani European Geothermal Innovation Award 2024. It is very important for us. It shows that we have gone a long way to the success of having the first green lithium in Europe, and we are looking forward to doing it commercially and big".
The 2024 award stands for the recognition of demonstrating that geothermal fluids can be used beyond harnessing energy in the form of power and/or heat to extract critical raw materials, such as Lithium, locally in a sustainable manner. Vulcan Energie Ressourcen's LEOP project stood out for its innovation, sustainability, and potential to reshape the future of lithium production.
Got a story? Email: duncan.moore@aspermont.com
