The production process begins with the treatment of the natural brine that is obtained by pumping from the core of the Salar de Atacama and is disposed of in open-air pools, which are subjected to the intense solar energy of the Atacama Desert.
We have 150 monitoring wells in the Salar basin, which are monitored in real time. In addition, a representative of the indigenous communities periodically accompanies Albemarle to monitor the wells.
The natural brine used by Albemarle for its process contains a lithium concentration of close to 0.2%. Thanks to the evaporation produced by the sun, the brine is concentrated and moved between the different pools until it reaches 6% lithium in its content.
The concentrated brine is transported in cistern trucks to the La Negra Chemical Plant in Antofagasta, where a purification process is carried out before its chemical conversion to produce lithium chloride and lithium carbonate technical grade and battery grade.
During the brine evaporation process, the precipitation of different types of salts occurs that are considered a by-product of the process. Among them are: halite, sylvinite, potassium carnallite, bischophyte and lithium carnallite. Both sylvinite and potassium carnallite are processed for potassium production at the Potash Plant also located in the Salar de Atacama Plant.