ROBSTOWN, Texas — Telsa’s lithium refinery, located in Robstown, Texas, near Corpus Christi, is now fully operational, according to an X post from Elon Musk.
The refinery, which broke ground in 2023 according to a Telsa press release, is the “first industrial deployment of an acid-free lithium refining route.” The process seeks to eliminate the hazardous materials from the usual mining of lithium.
The process, which involves taking the material spodumene and converting it to lithium, is talked about by the site manager of the facility, Jason Bevan, in the video on X.
“We sustainably source spodumene and bring it to site, where we then run it through a series of conveyance systems, take it through a kiln and cooler,” Bevan said. “From there, we take it through an alkaline leach and additional purification steps. Take it into crystallization and produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide.”
According to the press release, Tesla expects to bring 250 full-time jobs to the area, along with internships through Texas A&M Corpus Christi and apprenticeship opportunities through Del Mar Community College.