Roskill reports that Pure Energy Minerals has executed a non-binding MOU with Tenova Advanced Technologies (TAT), TAKRAF and other technology partners to design, build and operate a pilot plant at its Clayton Valley lithium brine project in Nevada. The technology partners are SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, NORAM Engineering and Constructors, and Solvay. The pilot plant will demonstrate TAT’s lithium recovery process consisting of LiP™, LiSX™ and LiEL™ in a continuous pilot scale plant, providing the required data for building a commercial plant.

The pilot plant is expected to take up to 12 months to design and permit. Construction and operation would span another 12 months, depending in part on how many potential customers need product from the plant. The overall cost for design, construction, and operation of the pilot plant is expected to be up to $15 million.

This is a 26,000 acre lithium brine project with an Inferred Resource, estimated at June 2017, of 247,000 t lithium hydroxide monohydrate (218,000 t lithium carbonate equivalent). Lithium-bearing brine has been detected to a depth of 820 m.