Alpha Lithium Corporation, Vancouver, Canada, (TSX.V: ALLI) (OTC: ALLIF) (Frankfurt: 2P62), sole owner of one of the last large, undeveloped salars in Argentina’s Lithium Triangle, has engaged Lilac Solutions Inc., Oakland, California, to undertake initial Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) engineering work on brine samples from Alpha’s Tolillar Salar. Lilac’s engineering work is intended to complement Alpha’s in-house engineering being done by the principals of Beyond Lithium SA, a world-renowned team of chemical process engineers with decades of lithium chemistry experience.
Lilac has been engaged to commence Stage 1 Engineering. This first stage requires initial brine samples to be sent directly from the Tolillar Salar to Lilac’s offices in Oakland, California. The brine will be passed through Lilac’s proprietary lithium extraction modules for approximately three weeks and the results will be monitored and reported.
This initial test will provide the Company with:
- The lithium recovery rate (what percentage of lithium is able to be recovered from the brine using Lilac’s process)
- Lithium purity assessment
- Determination of lithium chloride chemical analysis
- Initial indications of reagent volumes used
- Indicative range of what operating expenses (“OPEX”) might be in a future commercial production facility
Based on the results of Stage 1 Engineering the Company may choose to continue to Stage 2 Engineering, which would involve significantly more brine volumes and time. Stage 2 Engineering would accomplish several things, including:
- Approximately three months of continuous lithium production at lab scale
- Refining of the initial OPEX numbers
- Establish process design criteria and complete lithium extraction test work for a Feasibility Study
- Define a tailored process flow diagram for a pilot plant at Tolillar Salar
Brad Nichol, President and CEO, commented, “Since recently establishing a treasury of more than $35 million, our primary focus on the Tolillar Salar has been on achieving production. This equires a trusted and proven DLE technology partner. It is crucially important to understand that DLE is a bespoke process whichis unique to every operation and every salar. Ultimately, a successful DLE implementation will require an absolute understanding of the brine chemistry. Internally, our Beyond Lithium team has been working for months on developing its knowledge base of our brine through in-depth chemical analyses and benchtop studies. Now is the perfect time to combine our brine knowledge with the technology developed by Lilac, who have extensively studied dozens of brines from the Lithium Triangle. They are a well-funded, fast-growing company that has developed a proprietary ion exchange process capable of recovering 80% of the lithium on a timeline measured in hours, not years.”
About Alpha Lithium
Alpha Lithium is a growing team of industry professionals and experienced stakeholders focused on the development of the Tolillar Salar. Together, we have assembled 100% ownership of what may be one of Argentina’s last undeveloped lithium salars, encompassing 27,500 hectares (67,954 acres), neighboring multi-billion-dollar lithium players in the heart of the renowned “Lithium Triangle”. Other companies in the area exploring for lithium brines or currently in production include Galaxy Lithium, Livent, and POSCO in Salar del Hombre Muerto; Orocobre in Salar Olaroz; Eramine SudAmerica S.A. in Salar de Centenario; and Gangfeng and Lithium Americas in Salar de Cauchari.
About Lilac Solutions Inc.
Lilac Solutions is a mining technology company based in Oakland, California. Lilac has developed a patented ion exchange technology that facilitates production of lithium from abundant brine resources with minimal cost and ultra-low environmental footprint. Lilac’s mission is to increase lithium supplies needed for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. Lilac recently raised $20 million led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Bill Gates), a $1 billion fund established by many of the world’s top business leaders, to support companies with the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Participation in the financing also included The Engine (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Lowercarbon Capital, and The Grantham Foundation.
Source:batteryindustry
