GEA evaporation and crystallization technology is at the heart of POSCO Group's new lithium hydroxide (LHM) plant in Güemes, Argentina. The lithium hydroxide production plant was officially inaugurated at the end of October 2024. It is the fifth lithium salt production plant that GEA has supplied to the POSCO Group. For POSCO, which claims to be the fourth largest steel producer in the world, the GEA plants are an important milestone towards its strategic goal of becoming one of the three largest lithium producers in the world by 2030. The plant in Güemes, Argentina, in which a total of more than one billion dollars has been invested, has a production capacity of 25,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year - enough for 800,000 EV (Electric Vehicles) battery packs - and has positioned itself as a benchmark project for the entire Latin American region. GEA's customized LS/LH crystallization technology, high quality and excellent service contributed significantly to the successful completion of the plant. This was emphasized at the inauguration ceremony in the presence of POSCO Argentina’s President Kwangbok Kim, POSCO’s Executive Vice President of the Rechargeable Batteries Division Jun Hyung Kim, Korea’s Ambassador to Argentina Lee Yong Soo, Argentina’s Mining Minister Luis E. Lucero and Salta’s Governor, Gustavo Sáenz, where GEA’s crystallization team was awarded with a recognition.
Proud of the entire GEA team on the POSCO project: Guilherme Prelorentzou (right), GEA Senior Director Representative Brazil & Southern Cone LPT Division and Sebastian Pizarro (left), GEA Service Sales Engineer Liquid & Powder Technologies Division. (Photo: GEA)
Customized and newly developed GEA process for POSCO
The process developed from scratch by GEA for POSCO in Argentina is unique. It was developed to POSCO's exact specifications to ensure maximum uptime and performance and minimum waste and energy consumption, while delivering consistently high quality lithium hydroxide crystals. It began with laboratory testing to determine the key physical properties of the components involved, corrosion testing to determine the best material of construction and the development of a process solution that was validated in GEA's semi-industrial pilot plant. As a result, POSCO was provided by GEA with a complete development and scale-up of the appropriate evaporation, stripping and crystallization process to withstand the specific corrosive process conditions, combined with various GEA benchmark technologies, such as the falling film evaporator, forced circulation crystallizers and absorption columns operating with mechanical vapor recompression to minimize energy consumption.
Kwangbok Kim, President of POSCO Argentina's President (left) honors Guilherme Prelorentzou (2nd from left), GEA Senior Director Representative Brazil & Southern Cone LPT Division. (Photo: GEA)
The cooperation between GEA and POSCO continues with projects in Korea and Argentina
The cooperation between GEA and POSCO goes beyond lithium salts: Development work on the crystallization of NaHCO3 in connection with carbon capture processes in Korea and the establishment of a digital twin in Argentina, which helps with troubleshooting in PLC programs, shortens commissioning times and is a promising live tool for operator training, are in full swing.
Dr. Michael Golek
About GEA
GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.
The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services. For instance, every second pharma separator for essential healthcare products such as vaccines or novel biopharmaceuticals is produced by GEA. In food, every fourth package of pasta or every third chicken nugget are processed with GEA technology.
With more than 18,000 employees, the group generated sales of about EUR 5.5 billion in more than 150 countries in the 2025 fiscal year. GEA plants, processes, components and services enhance the efficiency and sustainability of customers’ production. They contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic usage and food waste. In doing so, GEA makes a key contribution toward a sustainable future, in line with the company’s purpose: ”Engineering for a better world.”
GEA is listed on the German DAX, the European STOXX® Europe 600 Index and is also a constituent of the leading sustainability indices DAX 50 ESG, MSCI Global Sustainability and Dow Jones Best-in-Class World.
