SLB on Sept. 10 said it has proven the company’s direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology at scale at its Nevada demonstration plant, recovering 96% lithium from brine.

Using its subsurface and surface engineering expertise, SLB said its integrated technology solution produces lithium from brine 500 times faster than conventional methods while using less land, water and chemicals.

“Lithium is a key enabler of electrification, so we must find ways to accelerate its production without adversely affecting the environment,” said Gavin Rennick, president of SLB’s New Energy business.

Energy companies have been working to commercialize DLE technologies amid efforts to lower global emissions. Lithium is considered a key metal for the transition to a lower-carbon technology as it is critical ingredient in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems. Companies are turning to DLE as an alternative to conventional methods involving hard rock mining and evaporation ponds.

The DLE method produces fewer emissions than hard rock mining, and it doesn’t require as much land as lithium brine extraction in evaporation ponds, where brine sits for several months or years as the sun evaporates most of the liquid content, ultimately leaving behind lithium and other metals. The brine, with its higher concentration of lithium, is then pumped to a facility for processing.

SLB says it has proven its direct lithium extraction technology at the demonstration plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada. (Source: SLB)
SLB says it has proven its direct lithium extraction technology at the demonstration plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada. (Source: SLB)

“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,” Rennick said. “This accelerates deployment of viable commercial-scale facilities for high-quality lithium products that are the backbone of our electrification economy.”

Operating at about one-tenth the size of a commercial-scale facility, SLB said the plant reached a verified recovery rate of 96% lithium from brine. The process results in the high-purity lithium carbonate or hydroxide.

SLB proved its DLE technology at the company’s pilot plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Completion of the technical milestone qualifies SLB to acquire 100% ownership interest in the Clayton Valley Project as part of the earn-in agreement with Pure Energy Minerals Ltd., SLB said.

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