Volt Lithium has achieved a significant milestone by scaling up its field unit to a processing capacity of 96,000 litres per day, marking a 100-fold increase in its capabilities. This advancement sets the stage for the company to commence field operations in the third quarter of 2024.
The company has reported lithium recoveries of up to 99% during the scale-up, even with inlet brine concentrations as low as 31 mg/L. This achievement confirms Volt’s ability to extract lithium from oilfield brines, a critical step as it moves towards commercial operations.
Volt’s proprietary Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology has been independently verified by ALS Canada Ltd, a global leader in testing, ensuring the reliability and efficiency of the process.
Alex Wylie, President and CEO of Volt, highlighted the significance of the Permian Basin, which produces 19 million barrels of lithium-infused brine per day, positioning it as one of the largest potential sources of lithium in the United States. “With the scaling-up of our Field Simulation Centre, we have accelerated the Company’s trajectory to becoming a significant North American lithium producer,” Wylie stated.
Dave Kimery, COO of Volt, emphasized the company’s goal to become a low-cost producer of battery-grade lithium from oilfield brines. He noted that the demand for high-quality, domestically supplied lithium is growing, and Volt is poised to meet this demand sustainably and with a lower environmental impact.
Volt plans to leverage the existing infrastructure in the Permian Basin to commence operations without incurring significant capital costs for drilling wells, building infrastructure, creating pipeline networks, and managing subsurface reservoirs. This strategy is expected to facilitate meaningful cash flow and production growth more quickly and at a lower cost than if the company were to operate independently. 
