- The Go Circular: The new era of Lithium initiative, organized with the support of Fundación Chile's Expande, sought to identify the best technological development capabilities and solutions that allow valorizing, generating new uses and/or applications to by-products generated in the company's production process.
- T2CM, from the Catholic University of Chile and TRESIN were the winners, who will receive US$150,000 and US$50,000, respectively, subject to the development of their solution, in conjunction with Albemarle, to advance in the technological maturity (TRL) of their proposals.
In San Pedro de Atacama and within the framework of the "Circular Fest", an innovation festival where companies, government, academia and the community meet to move towards a sustainable society, Albemarle and Expande of Fundación Chile announced the winning projects of "Go Circular: The new era of Lithium".
Through this call, the company, one of the largest lithium producers in the world, sought to identify and evaluate technological solutions that have a potential development of new markets for the uses and applications of the by-products generated in its production processes.
The process, which lasted about six months, received more than 40 applications from three countries (Chile, the United States and Australia), from which 10 finalists and two winners were selected.
It is Tailings to Construction Materials, T2CM of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, which won first place with a solution that could take advantage of up to 55 thousand tons of recarb (calcium carbonate cake) annually. This recarb will be used as an input in the following construction products: cement replacement for construction, artificial aggregate, various geopolymers and as an alternative binder.
TRESIN won second place in the contest. The company proposes to use bischophyte and halite salts in processes for the recovery of copper, gold, silver, palladium and other minerals of interest from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). When its solution is developed, it could consume more than 150 thousand tons of bischophyte and halite per year.
For Ignacio Mehech, VP of External Affairs LATAM and Country Manager of Albemarle Chile, "this call marks a milestone and reflects the way in which we at Albemarle do things, through collaboration and innovation. We are happy to culminate the "Go Circular" contest in San Pedro de Atacama, in the middle of a first-class event like CircularFest. The call was very successful and we were able to reward two initiatives of great value that encourage us to continue working for sustainability. We hope that this is the beginning of more challenges and joint work with researchers, students and institutions that want to be protagonists of the New Era of Lithium."
Along the same lines, the general manager of Fundación Chile, Hernán Araneda, added that "the opportunities and challenges that the country has to respond to the consequences of climate change depend, in large part, on the key role that large industries can assume as drivers and drivers of a transformative and impactful climate agenda. Today, Albemarle wants to be a protagonist of this change by making the circular economy a key driver of its business and in close collaboration with the ecosystem. From Fundación Chile we are very happy with the results of the call and we hope to continue accompanying the company in the development of the daughter-in-law era of lithium."