Lilac Solutions Unveils Data on Advanced Lithium Extraction Technology
Lilac Solutions announced on Tuesday that the latest version of its lithium extraction technology can recover more than 90% of lithium from various brine formations and has halved the construction cost of its system.
The release of this data addresses concerns about the efficiency and economics of Lilac’s direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, which is crucial for electric vehicle batteries but challenging to process. Lilac, founded in 2016 and backed by investors including BMW and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, has been cautious about sharing details of its DLE technology.
The 24-page white paper reveals that Lilac’s fourth-generation technology uses ion exchange ceramic beads to extract lithium in batch cycles, followed by a water-and-acid mixture to wash off the metal. This innovation comes amid increasing interest in DLE from major companies like Exxon Mobil and Saudi Aramco, though no DLE technology has yet succeeded commercially without traditional evaporation ponds.
"Our technology works and I want to show that," said Raef Sully, Lilac’s CEO, during the Fastmarkets Lithium Supply and Battery Raw Materials Conference. He emphasized the importance of bridging the gap between rumors and reality with solid data.
Lilac’s move follows criticism from a short seller in July 2022, which claimed that Lilac’s beads only lasted 150 cycles, rendering the technology uneconomical. In response, Lilac’s latest data shows that its technology can function for 4,000 cycles and reduce water usage through recycling.
The company plans to deploy this advanced DLE technology at Utah’s Great Salt Lake, with a pilot plant expected online by October. Lilac is also exploring lithium projects in Arkansas, South America, and Europe.
Lilac’s competitors are also pushing their DLE technologies. Koch Engineered Solutions, for instance, claims its technology, tested in Arkansas with partner Standard Lithium, has a 95.9% average lithium recovery rate under certain conditions.
"We're trying to change the narrative and show this whole 'phantom DLE' thing is no longer phantom," said Garrett Krall, head of Koch’s lithium business. "We now are ready to guarantee our (DLE) process in any brine resource around the world."
