Rock Tech cements circular deal


Staff reporter

Top image :
Rock Tech Lithium's proposed Guben lithium hydroxide conversion plant in Germany

A plan by Canadian miner Rock Tech Lithium to supply a German cement maker with by-products from its proposed circa-€800 million Guben lithium hydroxide converter can move it towards its goal of creating a “closed-loop lithium production system”, the company says.

Privately-owned German cement producer Schwenk Zement GmbH & Co has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rock Tech to source up to up to 200,000 tonnes a year of leach residues from Rock Teck’s proposed Guben converter in cement manufacturing.

Rock Tech said Institute of Technologies and Economics of Lithium (ITEL) studies highlighted the potential for “supplementary cementitious materials” to lower cement production carbon emissions and reduce dependency on coal-based energy.

Avoiding longer-range leach residue transport and disposal could cut Rock Tech’s annual operational costs by about 7%, or up to €8 million, and reduce the Guben facility’s environmental impact.

The Canadian company said sales to Schwenk would generate additional income and boost project net present value (NPV).

“This partnership is a testament to our commitment to sustainability and formation of a circular economy,” Rock Tech chief operations and legal officer, Kerstin Wedemann, said.

“By transforming waste into value we enhance our profitability and support the cement industry’s decarbonization efforts.”

Schwenk board member Johann Trenkwalder said securing adequate future supplies of high-quality cement grinding materials was of strategic importance to the 178-year-old company.

“The LSC produced during the operation of the planned converter in Guben represents an interesting and regionally available source of secondary raw materials,” Trenkwalder said.

Rock Tech will work with Schwenk and the German Institute for Construction Technology on a certification process for the use of residues in high-temperature cement processes. That could take up to 1.5 years.

Rock Tech is looking at a second lithium-hydroxide converter at Red Rock in Ontario, Canada.

Raw material would be sourced from its Georgia Lake spodumene project in the province’s Thunder Bay mining district.

 

Leave a Reply

Not registered? Register Now

Powered By MemberPress WooCommerce Plus Integration