11 October 2013
Details
ITOCHU Corporation announced today that
Simbol, Inc.,
in which ITOCHU made an investment in June 2010,
has succeeded in producing
lithium carbonate (with purity in excess of 99.9%)
using geothermal brine for the first time in the World.
This has been achieved at Simbol's demonstration plant
located near the Salton Sea in California, USA,
by selectively extracting lithium from geothermal brine
provided by a geothermal plant using its own technologies.
Simbol will continue to
* carry out technical experiments at its own demonstration plant and
* provide samples of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide to
manufacturers of cathode materials that are used for
- lithium-ion batteries (LiB), as well as to
- other potential customers for different industrial applications.
Simbol' plan for plant construction
With these initiatives, Simbol plans to
commence the construction of its first commercial plant with
annual production capacity of 15,000 tons
by the end of the current fiscal year, and
to start commercial operation in fiscal 2015.
Conventional production technology : solar evaporation
Today, approximately 70% of world lithium carbonate and
other lithium chemicals production is produced through
solar evaporation process
using brine from salt lakes in South America.
Simbol's technology
The unique production technology of Simbol uses
high temperature geothermal brine, thereby
* limiting the emission of carbon dioxide and
* reducing energy costs without being effected by changes in
weather conditions as it does not involve solar evaporation.
- There are additional developments and expansion of these
geothermal power plants in this region and
by applying this unique technology, Simbol will be able to
expand its capacity by few folds, dramatically increasing
its cost competitiveness in the market.
Uses and Applications of lithium carbonate
Lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are
core raw materials for producing
* cathode materials,
the main component of LiB (Lithium ion battery), and
they are also uses for producing
* electrolytes salts necessary to form electrolyte solution in the LiB.
Moreover, they are widely used as raw materials for
* glass, ceramics, lubricants, and other applications
Global annual market demand
- Demand for these lithium chemicals is expected to
grow for use in electric vehicles and other products in the future.
- The global annual demand, which is currently situated at
approximately 150,000 tons (lithium carbonate equivalent)
is expected to exceed 250,000 tons in 2017.
ITOCHU : Exclusive marketing right from Simbol
- ITOCHU obtained loans from
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC)
in June 2011 and
-ITOCHU has obtained an exclusive marketing right
to distribute Simbol's lithium products in the Asian region,
including Japan, China and South Korea and will continue to
ensure stable future supply of lithium resources through
the sales and marketing of lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide
and other lithium chemicals that will be produced in
the United States.
About Simbol, Inc.
- Head office : Plesanton, California, USA
- Established : February 2007
- President and CEO : Dr.John Burba
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