Tag Archives: DLE

SLB showcases sustainable lithium production at Clayton Valley demo plant

Energy minerals, Environmental, Sustainable mining, , ,

SLB says it has proven its solution for sustainable lithium production at scale at its demonstration plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada, to accelerate responsibly-sourced lithium products to market.

The proprietary integrated solution combines SLB’s subsurface expertise with surface engineering of advanced technologies that include direct lithium extraction (DLE). It produces lithium 500 times faster than conventional methods while using only 10% of the land, according to the company. Operating at approximately one tenth the size of a commercial-scale facility, the plant reached a verified recovery rate1 of 96% lithium from brine.

SLB’s integrated solution is a complete, end-to-end process that includes advanced impurity treatment and concentration technologies to produce high-purity lithium carbonate or hydroxide. The solution also uses significantly less water, energy and fewer chemical reagents in comparison to other DLE-based offerings.

“Lithium is a key enabler of electrification, so we must find ways to accelerate its production without adversely affecting the environment,” Gavin Rennick, president of SLB’s New Energy business, said. “SLB’s demonstration plant in Clayton Valley proves our unique integrated approach to produce scalable quantities of lithium in the fastest, most economical and sustainable way for today’s market. This accelerates deployment of viable commercial-scale facilities for high-quality lithium products that are the backbone of our electrification economy.”

The conventional alternative for producing lithium from brine at scale is evaporation. This process not only requires a significant amount of land but also results in massive water loss. Salt, underground minerals and used chemicals are then left at the surface, creating impact on biodiversity and the environment. SLB’s sustainable lithium production solution enhances sustainability by reducing water use. The proprietary process also returns the spent brine, or the brine with a reduced lithium concentration, back to its source after the lithium is processed and separated.

The entire SLB solution, from extracting lithium from brine to converting it to technical-grade lithium carbonate, takes just hours. By comparison, evaporation methods can take up to 18 months and have a much lower recovery rate of 50% or less, SLB says.

In proving this solution at its pilot plant, SLB completed specific technical milestones allowing it to fully qualify under the earn-in agreement with Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. and, at its option, may acquire 100% ownership interest in the Clayton Valley Project.

Northern Lithium and Evove agree on in-field DLE demo plant for UK project

Energy minerals, Mineral project development, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

At the 16th Fastmarkets Lithium Supply and Battery Raw Materials Conference in Las Vegas, USA, Northern Lithium Ltd and Evove Ltd announced the signing of a contract to install and trial an in-field direct lithium extraction (DLE) demonstration plant in the UK during the autumn of 2024.

The commercial agreement follows Evove’s extensive DLE processing at industrial-scale of saline brines extracted from Northern Lithium’s Northern Pennine Orefield, in August 2023, and the announcement of a tripartite partnership between Evove, Northern Lithium and engineering firm RSE in December 2023.

The initial module of a DLE demonstration plant is due to be commissioned at Northern Lithium’s first production site in County Durham during the autumn of 2024, with successive modular expansion of the plant thereafter to reach first full-scale commercial production of battery-grade lithium from 2027.

“This milestone agreement is the logical conclusion of intense preparation and successful piloting of Evove’s DLE technology on our lithium-rich brines,” Nick Pople, Northern Lithium Managing Director, said. “Our goal is to achieve first commercial production from 2027 and scale up from there to 10,000-plus tonnes of battery-grade lithium delivered per year from several production areas across the Northern Pennine Orefield within the next decade.”

Chris Wyres, Evove CEO, said: “The DLE plant is engineered in modules to allow scalable expansion. With in-built versatility, Northern Lithium has a variety of options for the production capacity and final lithium product created. It will demonstrate exemplary efficiency with some of the world’s most advanced technology for lithium extraction.”

Schlumberger’s NeoLith Energy taps Gradiant water solutions for direct lithium extraction work

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Schlumberger has entered into a partnership with Gradiant to introduce a key sustainable technology into the production process for battery-grade lithium compounds, the global water solutions provider says.

As part of Schlumberger’s NeoLith Energy direct lithium extraction (DLE) and production flowsheet, Gradiant technology is being used to concentrate the lithium solution and generate fresh water – a critical element in sustainable lithium production from brine.

“Proper natural resource management is essential in mineral production, and nowhere more so than in lithium,” Gavin Rennick, President of Schlumberger’s New Energy business, said. “The unprecedented growth in demand for this critical mineral requires high-quality production without compromising sustainability. The integration of Gradiant technology into our DLE flowsheet has been key in our strategy to improve sustainability in the global lithium production industry.”

NeoLith Energy’s DLE process is in sharp contrast to conventional evaporative methods of extracting lithium, with a significantly reduced groundwater and physical footprint, according to the company. It currently has a pilot plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada, where it is putting this to the test.

Gradiant’s new solution enhances the impact of the sustainable lithium extraction process, reducing time to-market and the environmental footprint of the product, the company says. The technology enables high levels of lithium concentration in a fraction of the time required by conventional methods, while also reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption, and capital costs when compared with thermal-based technologies. This technology integration can be applied into new lithium mineral extraction and production sites, opening opportunities to untapped lithium production regions, as well as existing lithium production operations.

The collaboration will enable the lithium industry to meet surging mineral demand with a previously unattainable level of water utilisation, by simultaneously lowering the consumption of fresh water and reducing wastewater, according to Gradiant.

“We are excited to be working with Schlumberger, with whom we are pioneering a new era of sustainable mineral resource recovery,” Prakash Govindan, COO of Gradiant, said. “This is made possible by Gradiant’s deep understanding of the complex chemistry that underlies the production processes, which is then operationalised by machine learning and digital technology.

“The sustainability impact of the integrated Schlumberger process, combined with Gradiant solutions, is a game changer for the lithium production market. This strategic partnership will enable the global expansion of Gradiant’s technology in this important industry.”

E3 Metals receives provincial funding for Direct Lithium Extraction pilot

Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining finance, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , ,

Canada-based E3 Metals says it has received a government grant totalling C$1.8 million ($1.4 million) from Alberta Innovates that will assist it in funding a pilot plant to test out its proprietary Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology.

DLE technology, the company says, seamlessly connects conventional oil field and lithium processing, with the potential to unlock Alberta’s previously untapped lithium resources.

This direct brine process produces a concentrate feedstock that could be turned into lithium hydroxide using conventional production equipment, according to the company, with the benefit of DLE being that it can achieve at least 20 times to almost 100 times concentration of lithium (up to 5,300 mg/L) with a reduction of over 99% of all impurities and an extraction time of hours. This is achieved with average lithium recoveries of over 90%, the company says.

“E3 Metals’ goal is to commercialise its global-scale lithium resource and deliver zero carbon emissions, battery grade lithium products to the growing electric vehicle supply chain,” it said.

The funding provided by Alberta Innovates is to support the demonstration E3 Metals’ DLE technology by progressively scaling it up from the lab prototype to a field pilot. The first step will be a prototype operating within E3 Metals’ Calgary lab, and then a field pilot operating continuously on a site within E3 Metals’ resource area in Alberta.

“By demonstrating the process at a pilot scale over numerous months, the company plans to significantly de-risk its Alberta lithium project prior to scaling up to the anticipated commercial scale of 20,000 t/y lithium hydroxide monohydrate,” it said.

Alberta Innovates is a provincially funded corporation with a mandate to deliver 21st century solutions for the most compelling challenges facing Albertans, E3 Metals says. It does this by building on the province’s research and technology development strengths in the core sectors of health, environment, energy, and food and fibre, and platforms such as clean technology, digital technology for business transformation, data-enabled innovation, and innovative production and distribution.

E3 Metals has 7 Mt of lithium carbonate equivalent inferred mineral resources in Alberta within the Leduc Reservoir. Some 1.9 Mt of this is confined within its Clearwater lithium project.