Australian mining company Infinity Lithium Corp (ASX:INF) and German industrial group Thyssenkrupp AG (ETR:TKA) have agreed to jointly explore the use of green hydrogen in the production of lithium.
The partnership will start with a pilot project in which test works will be conducted at a Thyssenkrupp plant in Germany to assess the potential of hydrogen as a substitution fuel in rotary kilns using the industrial group's hydrogen burner installation, Infinity said on Monday.
The technology could be later integrated into Infinity's lithium project in San Jose, Spain and in novel lithium hydrometallurgical conversion processes.
Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG Business Unit Mining (tk BU Mining) will assess various options for using green hydrogen and natural gas as well as the development of specific infrastructure at San Jose.
The collaboration was agreed amid growing demand for raw materials globally and growing concerns about the environment and the finite nature of natural resources.
Infinity Lithium is seeking to develop a fully integrated industrial project in San Jose to make battery-grade lithium chemicals from a mica feedstock. It says that the project would provide "an essential component in the EU’s development of a vertically integrated lithium-ion battery supply chain".
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