Arizona Lithium Limited (ASX:AZL) has released an operational update on its Pilot at the Prairie. The company has achieved a remarkable steady-state of 95.6% lithium extraction from over 80,000 L of brine, with a rejection rate of impurities at 99.9%. The focus for the remainder of the test schedule, concluding in February, will be on developing control limits and process capability indexes for lithium recovery and impurity rejection, which will be used for the commercial-scale facility scheduled for production in 2025.
Arizona Lithium Managing Director, Paul Lloyd, expressed confidence in the process and economics, highlighting the forecasted economics of production in 2025. The pilot results have exceeded expectations in terms of both lithium concentration and impurity rejection, providing a positive outlook for the sanctioning of a commercial facility following the Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS).
Arizona Lithium's Prairie Lithium Project has demonstrated impressive progress with steady lithium extraction and impurity rejection rates. The company is on track to deliver the PFS by the end of December 2023, with early indications showing the Prairie project to be economically robust. The successful pilot results indicate the potential to reduce downstream processing and conversion costs, providing a positive outlook for the company's sustainable development goals. With the focus now on developing control limits and process capability indexes, Arizona Lithium is poised for significant advancements in its corporate strategy and the commercialization of its lithium projects.