- International Battery Metals (CSE:IBAT) became the first company to produce lithium with a novel type of filtration technology, commercially
- The company announced that operations had commenced at its commercial proprietary modular direct lithium extraction plant in Utah
- The team called it an industry landmark, representing the first lithium produced from the only modular DLE operation in the world and the first commercial DLE operation in North America
- International Battery Metals Ltd. opened trading at C$1.36 per share
International Battery Metals (CSE:IBAT) became the first company to produce lithium with a novel type of filtration technology, commercially.
The company announced on Thursday that operations had commenced at its commercial proprietary modular direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant in Utah. The team called it an industry landmark, representing the first lithium produced from the only modular DLE operation in the world and the first commercial DLE operation in North America.
Its first commercial lithium production plant was announced only recently and is co-located at US Magnesium’s operations outside Salt Lake City, Utah.
International Battery Metals is commissioning the DLE plant with an initial design capacity of 5,000 metric tons/year.
The commercial facility extracts lithium from magnesium chloride/lithium chloride brine, a by-product of historical magnesium production. This modular DLE system, currently occupying about 4,000 square metres (or one acre), is in production and supplying lithium chloride to US Magnesium. The company’s next goal is to expand production by adding more columns to the existing DLE modular platform, aiming for a significant increase in capacity.
The company expects this could bring a lot of changes to the lithium industry and in a news release highlighted several advantages of its patented technology:
- Speed to market: The modular design can deliver lithium to the market in approximately 18 months from the start of construction at a fabrication facility to onsite production, compared with the five to seven years required for a conventional stick-built DLE plant.
- Low cost: Expected to have some of the lowest capital expenditure (capex) and operating expenditure (opex) in the industry.
- Scalable, agile and brine agnostic: The modular system’s small footprint can be deployed at various lithium brine resources globally, including active or inactive oil and gas formations. The system’s scalability allows for expansion by adding modules.
- High-quality lithium: The company’s DLE technology selectively extracts lithium ions through absorption with a proprietary crystal structure, resulting in a lithium-chloride solution with the necessary feedstock purity to produce battery-grade lithium. Independent verification by SLR and Mehos Consulting confirms the technology extracts more than 97% of available lithium from Smackover brine.
- Sustainability: International Battery Metals’ proprietary absorbent does not require chemicals in the extraction process. The technology extracts lithium from brine sources and returns the lithium-depleted brine to its source. With an advanced water recovery rate of up to 98 per cent, this technology is highly protective of sensitive water resources.
International Battery Metals Ltd. is a direct lithium extraction technology company focused on the development of environmentally responsible methods of extracting lithium compounds from brine. The company has developed a patented modular DLE plant which allows for rapid deployment to a resource holders production site. The team is working with resource holders of oilfield brines, brine aquifers and industrial customers with brine by-products.
International Battery Metals Ltd. (CSE:IBAT) opened trading at C$1.36 per share.
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(Top image of International Battery Metals’ lithium extraction plant: International Battery Metals)