The corporate added that Section 1 of the manufacturing plant has been designed to provide as much as 220,000 tonnes every year of excessive purity 6% battery grade lithium focus, equal to about 33,000 tonnes per 12 months of lithium carbonate equal (LCE).
Sigma is at the moment conducting a preliminary feasibility examine (PFS) for a potential second manufacturing section. Its preliminary financial evaluation (PEA) for the second deposit on the Grota do Cirilo mission, released in June, doubles production capacity of battery-grade lithium focus to round 440,000 tonnes per 12 months (66,000 lithium LCE).
Such capability, which might be reached earlier than the tip of 2023, would make Grota do Cirilo fall simply outdoors the world’s prime 5 lithium producers when it comes to output capability after Albemarle, SQM, Ganfeng, Pilbara Minerals and Galaxy.
Atlantic provider
The proposed mine can be powered by a hydroelectric mission situated 50km away from the location and serve what Sigma dubs the rising Atlantic provide chain for batteries and electrical automobiles manufactured in North America and Europe.
Sigma expects a bifurcation out there as progress outdoors of China accelerates with environmental components together with water, power use and tailings turning into more and more essential components within the provide chain and the way producers are assessed.
The corporate’s co-CEO, Ana Cabral-Gardner, believes that Brazil has the potential to change into a “green lithium powerhouse”.
Brazil is already a world case examine in low carbon mobility powering automobiles with ethanol, biofuels and pure fuel. With Sigma Lithium within the combine, the nation now has one of many few firms globally that has confirmed its means to provide lithium in an environmentally sustainable method.
Sigma has been producing environmentally sustainable battery-grade lithium focus on a pilot scale since 2018.
A bigger-scale business operation is deliberate with a capability for 220,000 tonnes (33,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equal) yearly in Section I, rising to 440,000 tonnes (65,000 tonnes of LCE) in Section II.
