Germany’s Neptune Energy will soon be in a position to measure the effectiveness of competing direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies after kicking off a pilot test involving US-based Lilac Solutions.
Neptune obtained permits last March to produce lithium and geothermal energy on the Altmark gas field in Saxony-Anhalt.
It said it started extracting lithium from brine in November with French technology firm Geolith at Steinitz and had now launched the pilot testing with Lilac on “one of the most promising lithium reservoirs in continental Europe”.
“As part of a pilot phase lasting several months, various currently available technologies will be tested until mid-2026 in order to gain important insights for further project development,” Neptune says. “Lithium extraction in Germany can make an important contribution to the security of supply of raw materials.”
According to Lilac, its aim is to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate from Altmark brine at its Steinitz pilot plant. It says dual use of gas wells for lithium production illustrates how existing fields can be used to support new energy technologies.
“Lilac’s DLE technology requires no evaporation ponds and minimal land and water usage,” the California-based company said. Its containerised pilot plant was fabricated at the company’s Oakland headquarters and shipped to Germany.
“The integrated pilot processes brine from the subsurface reservoir through a complete flowsheet encompassing filtering and pretreatment, lithium extraction using Lilac’s proprietary ion exchange technology, concentration, and conversion into battery-grade lithium carbonate,” the company said.
“The field pilot is capable of testing both hydrochloric and sulfuric acid flowsheets to optimise the process design for scale-up.”
Initial testing is scheduled to run through to the end of July this year.
Lilac CEO Raef Sully said: “Lilac’s technology is a strong fit for the Altmark brine and can enable this resource to become a significant source of German lithium production in the future.”
Neptune Energy was split up last year after Italy’s Eni SpA agreed to pay €4.9 billion for assets outside Germany. Norway’s Var Energi acquired Neptune’s Norway interests.
China Investment Corporation (CIC), The Carlyle Group and CVC Capital Partners remain in control of Neptune and its German operations.
