Century Lithium Corp. (TSXV: LCE) (OTCQX: CYDVF) (Frankfurt: C1Z) ("Century Lithium" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the relocation of its Lithium Extraction Facility ("Demonstration Plant") to the Company's site in Tonopah, Nevada, USA. Current market conditions also highlight the competitive advantage of the Company's 100%-owned Angel Island lithium project ("Angel Island") in Esmeralda County, Nevada and its integrated chlor-alkali process as global sulfur and sulfuric acid prices rise.
"During the last five years, Century Lithium developed an integrated process flowsheet that successfully produced battery-grade lithium carbonate from Angel Island claystone. The patent-pending process uses salt, rather than sulfur-derived reagents, which distinguishes Angel Island from spodumene and most sedimentary lithium projects globally," said Bill Willoughby, President and CEO of Century Lithium. "Moving the Demonstration Plant to Tonopah lets us show the operating benefits of our chlor-alkali process at a moment when sulfur demand and related reagent costs are rising. Our process was designed for its compatibility with our Angel Island lithium deposit and regionally obtainable resources. As pressures on international supply chains increase, that advantage becomes increasingly meaningful for our shareholders and future customers."
Demonstration Plant: Progress and Planned Work at Tonopah
The Demonstration Plant operated at the Company's Amargosa Valley facility for five years, producing battery-grade lithium carbonate and validating the integrated chlor-alkali flowsheet for Angel Island. Relocation to Tonopah is proceeding as planned. Equipment relocation, construction of a new process building, and application for a Nevada Water Pollution Control Permit are all in progress, with commissioning targeted for the second half of 2026.
Upon completion, the Company plans to conduct structured metallurgical testing per the recommendations of the 2026 Feasibility Study (described below), including full test runs on claystone zones 1 and 2. Bench-scale testing reported in the Feasibility Study indicates the deeper claystone performs as well as, or better than, the bulk samples of surface material used in earlier runs. The Company also plans to evaluate improvements to leaching, direct lithium extraction ("DLE"), and lithium carbonate and hydroxide production.
The Demonstration Plant will also serve as a showcase of salt-based lithium extraction for government agencies, community stakeholders, and potential funding partners. The Company is pursuing federal critical-minerals funding opportunities, including evaluation of the potential recovery of additional critical elements from Angel Island leach solutions as identified in the Feasibility Study.
Century Lithium's Chlor-Alkali Process: Salt as the Foundation
Angel Island is built around a patent-pending chlor-alkali process in which hydrochloric acid ("HCl") and sodium hydroxide ("NaOH") are generated on-site from sodium chloride ("NaCl") and electricity. HCl leaches lithium from Angel Island claystone; NaOH provides pH control throughout leaching, filtration, and DLE. Both reagents are continuously regenerated as co-products of the electrolytic cells, closing the loop and eliminating reliance on external acid supply chains.
The process does not use sulfuric acid and produces no sulfate by-products. The primary inputs are NaCl and electricity which are stable, domestically available, and structurally uncorrelated to sulfur markets. As set out in the 2026 Feasibility Study, NaOH surplus to process requirements, which is expected to be significant, available for sale as an economic by-product.
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