The Hombre Muerto West pilot plant has confirmed that Galan Lithium is able to produce premium quality lithium chloride concentrate from its Catamarca province, Argentina.

The company says the premium 6% grade of the concentrate is equivalent to 31.9% lithium carbonate.

The samples are now ready to be distributed to potential offtake partners.

This latest development comes on the heels of last month’s issuing of initial permits for Hombre Muerto West by Catamarca’s Mines Department.

Lithium carbonate production by 2025

Galan says it has begun preparations and engineering design for a lithium carbonate pilot plant using the lithium chloride produced at Hombre Muerto West.

Phase 1 preparation works — which involve building a new camp and removal of topsoil — are on track for delivering lithium chloride production of 5,400 tonnes of lithium carbonate per annum.

This is expected to be achieved in 2025.

Meanwhile, the brine concentrate processing will continue for the rest of this year and into 2024.

‘Wonderful achievement, significant milestone’

Last month’s issuance by the Mines Department minister of Catamarca of permits for Hombre Muerto West cover all earthworks required by Galan for its ground pond testing.

Galan says the construction permits for Phase 1 are expected to be issued this year, and the Phase 2 definitive feasibility study is expected to be completed in the current quarter.

Managing director Juan Pablo Vargas de la Vega describes the pilot plant results as “a wonderful achievement and significant project milestone”.

“To deliver a high-quality product from our Hombre Muerto West piloting activities is just reward for the Galan team,” he continued.

“It has proven our process model and design theories were correct — it can be done.”

Next stage: continuous production

Galan began the pilot plant activities in April 2022 by filling the first evaporation pond of the existing pilot plant.

The main purpose of the early pilot plant construction and operation was to prove the process design for Hombre Muerto West.

The company says the next stage of the piloting to is achieve continuous production, delivering multiple samples at low and medium scale for producing sufficient volume to meet requirements of potential off-take customers.