On 21st October 2009, the On-site Verification and Acceptance Conference of the National High-tech Industrialization Demonstration Project, Extraction of Lithium from Qinghai Salt Lakes and Comprehensive of the Resources, was held at Xining, presided by CAS. The conference was chaired by Feng Pan, vice director of Planning Bureau of CAS, and attended by Tongjiao Zhong, vice secretary-general of Qinghai Provincial Government, Zhigang Wang, vice director of CAS Infrastructure Bureau, Shengrong Yang, vice president of CAS Lanzhou Branch, Xiaoqin Liu, vice commissioner of Western Qinghai Autonomous Prefecture, Yongqiang Bai, CEO of Western Mining Group, Haizhou Ma, director of ISL, and Yanming Hu, ISL secretary of the Party committee, as well as 40 other representatives from CAS, Qinghai government, Western Qinghai Prefecture government, and other relevant organizations.
President and CEO of Qinghai Lithium Co. Ltd, Zhengrong Li gave a general report on the status of the Project. CAS Member Hongzhong Li from IPECAS, on behalf of the process and facilities expert committee, and Vice Director Zhigang Wang, on behalf of the construction and installation committee, respectively expressed the verification opinions of the two committees.
It was pointed out that the execution of the Project has: (1) built solar ponds of 4 km2 and production facilities of 3000 tpa lithium carbonate, 25000 tpa potassium sulfate, and 2500 tpa boric acid at East Taijinar Salt Lake, which have met the general objectives ratified by the authorities, yielding qualified products sold to various markets; (2) successfully developed a new process of extracting lithium from salt lake brines bearing high Mg/Li ratios with independent intellectual rights, which features advanced technology, quality products, lower costs and greener production, hence advanced on a global perspective; (3) formed technological achievements that will boost the development of China's lithium industry, effect the comprehensive utilization and sustainable development of salt lake resources, thereby rendering demonstrating significance for extracting lithium from high Mg/Li salt lake brines of China and the world's salt lakes. The expert committees expressed that the Project has fulfilled all construction specifications ratified by the national authorities thereby meeting the terms of acceptance, and recommended that the Project be accepted by the authorities.
Vice Secretary General Tongjiao Zhong, Vice Commissioner Xiaoqin Liu, CEO Yongqiang Bai and representatives from Qinghai Commission of Development and Reform respectively addressed at the meeting, congratulating on the Project's successful passage of the verifications by the two expert committees. They hope that Qinghai Lithium will seize this opportunity, boost its development and endeavor to improve the technologies in the comprehensive development of salt lake resources thereby making significant contribution to the Qinghai salt lake industry.
Director Haizhou Ma expressed that ISL will continue to assist in the verifications on finance and documents, as well as the final acceptance. Moreover, ISL will persist in its endeavors solving technological issues and the conversion of its scientific achievements, and strive to make new contributions for the development of the national salt lake industry and local economy.
The feasibility study report of this National High-tech Industrialization Demonstration Project was approved by the former National Planning Commission in November 2001. The Project has been co-supervised by CAS and Qinghai Commission of Development and Reform, executed by Qinghai Lithium, and technological assisted by ISL. The Project employs an integrated collection of optimized processes of Solar Evaporation, lithium extraction from high Mg/Li salt lake brines, boric acid recovery and potassium sulfate production, and built a demonstrating lithium carbonate production line, whereby production capacities of 3000 tpa lithium carbonate, 2500 tpa boric acid, and 25000 tpa potassium sulfate have been formed.
This on-site verification focused on the process and facilities, and the construction and installation aspects of the Project. On 19th to 20th October, CAS Planning and Finance Bureau organized the verification expert committees and dispatched them to the East Taijinar Salt Lake to perform field inspection. At the plant, the process and facilities expert committee, led by CAS Member Hongzhong Li, together with the construction and installation expert committee, led by Departmental Head Ming Yin from CAS Infrastructure Bureau, listened to Qinghai Lithium's general report of the Project and report on the construction and installation of the Project, as well as the report of processes and facilities by ISL. They made on-site inspection of the plant buildings, the operating status of the facilities and the quality indexes of the Project and reviewed the documentation of the implementation of the Projects. The committees also questioned and discussed with the research and engineering staff at the site. On 21st afternoon, the expert committees held a meeting in Golmud, which formed the acceptance opinions based on extensive discussions.