Lithium Mining and Direct Lithium Extraction

A combination of consumers embracing new technologies along with government directives to achieve zero emissions have continued to push automakers to add electric vehicles to their lineup. Because of this, the use of Lithium-Ion batteries in electric vehicles is set to grow exponentially.  This significant growth of Lithium-Ion batteries is driving global demand to quadruple by 2030 as the world moves to decarbonize the transportation sector.

This surge is driving the mining industry to not only increase Lithium production but also expand to locations that are ideal to serve upcoming Lithium-Ion battery GigaFactories by developing innovative and disruptive Lithium mining methods that minimize impact on the environment while maximizing production efficiency.

Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) is the latest and leading trend in Lithium mining that is often compared with the conventional evaporation brine process for the following reasons:

• Faster production where production time is measured in hours versus years with conventional evaporation ponds
• Higher lithium recovery rates, 70-90% versus 30-50% via conventional method
• Significantly smaller footprint is utilized as no huge evaporation ponds are required with low water consumption as brine is returned to aquifer with little to no tailings
  

The cornerstone of Direct Lithium Extraction is that the process utilizes highly selective absorbents that can be either adsorption, ion exchange, or solvent extraction type which enables lithium to be extracted from brine water efficiently while minimizing impact on the environment. Various chemical reagents are involved in every step of this innovative process from extraction and polishing to the purification and concentration stage.

Milton Roy pumps are designed to handle a wide range of chemicals including acids, base, corrosive or viscous liquids and slurries. Milton Roy also has extensive experience serving the precious metals extraction market and deep knowledge in precision metering applications. Our global team of experts and channel partners are ready to assist in tackling design complexities in this novel technology and offer the right pump solutions that meet different process requirements.