Canadian company E3 Lithium is making progress on its path to transforming Alberta into a major player in the global lithium market.

The company last week announced government funding for its demonstration project aimed at producing battery-grade lithium carbonate from locally sourced brines in Alberta.

This week, E3 announced a joint development agreement with Boston-based lithium metal battery technology firm Pure Lithium, focusing on the design and construction of a lithium metal anode and battery pilot plant in Alberta.

The latest project would combine Pure Lithium’s patented brine-to-battery technology with E3’s lithium brines and concentrate production. This collaboration, E3 said, would seek to streamline the battery production process by eliminating the need for a lithium salt intermediary, potentially simplifying the overall process flow.

The companies have been working together since mid-2022, when Pure Lithium successfully produced a lithium metal battery from E3’s lithium concentrate. Over the past two years, this partnership has led to the development of lithium metal cells with higher energy density compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, without the use of nickel, cobalt, or graphite.

According to the development agreement, the two companies would spend the next 12 months completing a detailed techno-economic model, scaling up their efforts, and designing a pilot facility near Calgary. The facility would use lithium from E3’s concentrate to produce 200 kg of lithium metal anodes, which would be tested in lithium metal vanadium rechargeable batteries. The successful operation of this pilot could pave the way for the establishment of a commercial lithium metal battery facility adjacent to E3’s lithium production site in Alberta.

“Integrating the E3 DLE flow sheet with Pure Lithium’s electrodeposition technology shows significant promise to deliver low-cost, sustainable batteries that would be industry-leading,” said E3 president and CEO Chris Doornbos.

“We are excited to be taking this next step with Emilie [Bodoin] and her team to bring the battery out of the lab and into Alberta, an accomplishment that would be a major step towards a commercial brine-to-battery process.”

Bodoin, founder and CEO of Pure Lithium, highlighted the impact of the partnership on battery production. “Securing a supply of lithium is something all battery and battery material companies have historically struggled to do. We are doing things differently and solving this problem with trusted partners prior to the commencement of battery production,” she said.

“After two years of diligent work, E3 has continuously provided Pure Lithium with lithium concentrate and we are excited to use this concentrate as we scale. Producing our lithium metal anodes from concentrate dramatically reduces the cost of battery production and removing the need to prepare anodes for shipping will lead to increased performance in the battery. We are thrilled to be moving this project forward, and to continue working with the fantastic team at E3.”

Meanwhile, the Alberta government last week announced it would invest C$5-million through the Emissions Reduction Alberta Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction fund to support E3’s integrated lithium brine demonstration facility.

E3 is constructing a demo project at an increased scale that will allow for the operation of a fully integrated process that will help in achieving the company’s goal of producing battery-grade lithium carbonate from locally sourced brines in Alberta.

“There is a critical minerals race happening worldwide, and with investments like this one, Alberta is leading,” said Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz. “We are tapping into our province’s plentiful brine reserves, well-documented drill sites and talented oil and gas workforce to help E3 Lithium get its technology closer to commercialization, setting the stage for Alberta to become a global leader in lithium production while stimulating investment and creating jobs here at home.”

“E3 Lithium exemplifies Alberta's entrepreneurial spirit,” said Justin Riemer, CEO of Emissions Reduction Alberta. “They saw an opportunity and developed an innovative strategy to capitalise on it, transforming industrial waste into a valuable energy source that can power your cell phone or your electric vehicle. Along with supporting the circular economy, the environmental and economic rewards of this kind of leading-edge technology directly align with the province's long-term goals.”

Doornbos stated that E3 was on the path to building a new industry in the province. “As we prove the technology at an increasing scale, we increase the certainty that Alberta can be a major lithium-producing jurisdiction.”