IBAT Launches Commercial Lithium Production with Breakthrough DLE Technology
International Battery Metals (IBAT) has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first company to commercially produce lithium using a novel direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. The company is producing lithium at a site in rural Utah, controlled by US Magnesium, at a rate of nearly 5,000 metric tons per year.
The company's portable DLE plant design allows for scalable and relocatable production, and it recycles over 98% of water used in the process, addressing the high water usage typically associated with lithium production. This achievement places IBAT ahead of competitors like Standard Lithium, SLB, Rio Tinto, and Eramet.
"This is all about boosting the global supply of lithium," said IBAT Chairman John Burba, who developed the technology at Dow Chemical in the 1980s. The success of IBAT’s DLE technology is expected to significantly impact the lithium market, potentially transforming it much like fracking and horizontal drilling did for the U.S. oil industry.
Lithium is essential for electric vehicle batteries, among other applications. Traditional extraction methods using evaporation ponds or open-pit mines are resource-intensive and have long development times. DLE technology, by contrast, extracts about 90% of the lithium from brines compared to about 50% with evaporation ponds.
Despite a recent 80% drop in lithium prices, IBAT plans to expand its operations globally. The company's strategy involves using relatively small, portable plants. Their 450-foot-long plant, built in Louisiana, was transported in 13 parts to the US Magnesium site, which draws brine from the Great Salt Lake. These portable plants can be stacked to increase production in 5,000-ton-per-year increments and can be relocated to new deposits, saving on construction costs.
US Magnesium has already started selling lithium produced with IBAT's technology and is paying IBAT a royalty. Ron Thayer, president of US Magnesium, chose IBAT's process for its portability and the efficiency of the adsorption material used to filter lithium from brine.
