Compass Minerals, Overland Park, Kan., said on Sept. 20 that lithium from its Ogden, Utah solar evaporation site could hit the market as early as 2025. Compass is a long-time producer of sulfate of potash (SOP), salt, and magnesium at the site. It announced in July that it was pursuing options at the site for lithium (GM July 16, p. 31).
The company is targeting an annual production capacity of approximately 20,000-25,000 mt/y LCE of battery-grade lithium, with up to 65 percent of the future production derived from brine that has already been extracted from the Great Salt Lake and in varying stages of concentration within the company’s existing ponds. Compass estimates that it already has some 127,000 mt of lithium concentrated in its ponds.
The company said its four-year timeline to market greatly surpasses the industry average of ten years.