TSX-listed Standard Lithium says its Aquatech commercial-scale direct lithium extraction facility in Arkansas, USA, has processed one million barrels – 160 million litres – of “real brine”, underlining the credentials of the DLE technology it plans to use in its proposed US$1.45 billion South West Arkansas lithium project.
The circa-US$920 million-market-cap company said its El Dorado plant had now completed more than 15,000 cycles, “demonstrating the fundamental performance targets of 95%-plus lithium recovery and 99%-plus rejection of key contaminants”. A team of operators, technicians, laboratory specialists and engineers had completed about 340,000 man hours during six years of operation with no safety incidents.
Standard Lithium president and chief operating officer Dr Andy Robinson said the first-of-its-kind demonstration plant was the only continuously operating facility in the Smackover Formation processing “real-brine in real-time to achieve high levels of lithium recovery [and] high levels of contaminant rejection” to make battery-quality lithium carbonate.
“Processing and analysing such large volumes of live lithium brine provides a unique and robust data set that supports the scalability and de-risking of our selected process technology,” he said.
“It also strengthens our first mover advantage in the Smackover Formation, having the only shovel-ready project in the area preparing to take a final investment decision.”
Standard Lithium wants to initially produce 22,500 tonnes per annum of battery-quality lithium carbonate. It expects to start production at an average lithium concentration of 549mg per litre and average 481mg/l over a modelled 20 years of processing 0.2 cubic kilometres of brine.
