Advanced material extraction technology company International Battery Metals hit a significant milestone today, beginning lithium extraction operations at a new facility in the US. The plant, home to the company’s proprietary Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), is the first in North America and will produce the first lithium derived from DLE operations worldwide.
International Battery Metals Inc. ($IBAT) is an advanced technology company focused on minimizing the environmental impact of recovering previous lithium materials vital to modern mobility, such as those in EV battery packs.
To do so, IBAT has developed a proprietary process called Modular Direct Lithium Extraction (MDLE) technology. According to the company, its technology provides environmental advantages in emissions, resource conservation, and habitat protection while maintaining a high lithium recovery rate of up to 95%.
Furthermore, IBAT’s proprietary technology has been verified to extract more than 97% of available lithium from brine using no chemicals and with a water recovery rate of up to 98% via a closed-loop recycling system.
Four decades of work in cleaner lithium extraction have culminated in the DLE process, which has officially commenced at International Battery Metals’ new facility, located just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.
According to International Metal Battery, its modular direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant in Utah is now in operation. The milestone represents the first lithium produced from the only modular DLE operation in the world and the first commercial DLE operation in North America.
Its one-acre US commercial facility is located within the operations of US Magnesium LLC, where it is now extracting lithium from a byproduct of magnesium chloride/ lithium chloride brine derived from magnesium production. Described by IBAT as a massive breakthrough in battery material recycling, the DLE process could soon reshape the lithium extraction industry by providing several advantages:
- Speed to market: The modular DLE design can bring lithium to market in approximately 18 months, compared to several years’ time for a conventional stick-built DLE plant.
- Low cost: Expected to be among the lowest capex and opex in the industry.
- Scalable, agile and brine agnostic: The modular system’s small footprint can be installed at a variety of lithium brine resources and is easily scalable by adding modules.
- High-quality lithium: IBAT’s DLE technology selectively extracts lithium ions via absorption with a proprietary crystal structure, resulting in a lithium-chloride solution with the requisite feedstock purity to produce battery-grade lithium.
- Sustainability: IBAT’s proprietary absorbent does not require chemicals in the extraction process. The technology extracts lithium from brine sources and returns the lithium-depleted brine back to its source.
IBAT says its Utah operation will receive royalties from US Mag from lithium sales following extraction, as well as payments for equipment rental based on lithium prices and performance. Per IBAT founder and CTO John Burba:
This achievement is momentous for IBAT and a harbinger for an industry-transformation to significantly boost lithium production on a more cost-effective and sustainable basis, clearing a path for supplies of lower-priced, high-quality lithium for EV batteries and large-scale grid backup battery installations. This kicks off a U.S. lithium production renaissance and creates the potential for a sea change in global lithium supplies.
Looking ahead, International Battery Metal says it plans to expand production by installing additional columns on the same DLE modular platform, which will significantly increase lithium extraction capacity in the US.
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