The intersection of old and new energy is rapidly gaining momentum in the direct lithium extraction (DLE) space, which is poised to hasten a major “shift” in the global market for the vital battery mineral, according to experienced Australian mining leader, Samantha Langley.
A race to disrupt traditional salar brine and hard-rock lithium production with DLE currently involves more than 50 companies, she says. New entrants continue to pour into the space.
“These new technologies are significantly lower impact,” says Langley, head of sustainability at Australian and German-listed Vulcan Energy.
“I’m no market expert but I do know this is going to shift the market.”
Vulcan, the first mining company to earn a S&P Global Dark Green rating for its proposed US$2.59 billion Lionheart lithium and geothermal energy project in Germany, aims to use what it describes as “commercially established” adsorption-type DLE (A-DLE) given its suitability for use with highly saline, hot brines. Vulcan is drilling to depths of 3km and more below the surface in the Upper Rhine Valley. It says A-DLE, used commercially since the mid-1990s, accounts for about 10% of the world’s primary lithium production today. It is only projecting a rise to 15% by 2035 despite the method’s “cost, purity and sustainability advantages”.
But other DLE technologies are building their commercial credentials at projects in Europe, USA, Latin America and other parts of the world.
