Having originally commissioned the world’s first Life Cycle Assessment LCA) and global study on the environmental footprint of lithium
hydroxide (LHM) production, Vulcan recently again commissioned Minviro Ltd., to update its independent LCA based on more recent data
from Vulcan’s Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS).
Results of the updated LCA estimate negative 2.9t of CO2 emitted per tonne of LHM to be produced from Vulcan’s Zero Carbon Lithium™
Project, including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
Vulcan’s negative CO2 emission intensity is a product of the significant impact offset generated by renewable geothermal energy production as well as use of geothermal heat to drive lithium processing, and Vulcan’s industry-leading move to strictly exclude fossil fuels as an energy source from its planned operations.
According to public data, this result confirms that Vulcan’s Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project has the lowest planned carbon footprint in the world compared to any LCA results previously published in the lithium industry.
The LCA was conducted according to ISO-14040:2006 and ISO- 14044:2066 standards and included a third-party expert review.
The LCA also confirms a low water usage and water scarcity factor, compared to traditional forms of lithium production.
The Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project has been designed from its inception to help decarbonise the German electrical grid and lithium supply chain simultaneously.