Georit Energy "Successfully Extracted Lithium Carbonate with 96.3% Purity"

Geolith Energy announced on the 26th that it recovered lithium at 98.6% purity and extracted lithium carbonate with 96.3% purity at its pilot plant located at the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA.

The lithium carbonate testing was conducted by Chemtech-Ford Laboratories, Utah's first environmental research institute established in 1953. This institute provides groundwater and soil testing services for environmental monitoring to state governments and corporations.

In April, Geolith Energy, together with its affiliate Israeli company Extralit, was selected as the pilot plant installation company for Company A, which holds mineral extraction rights at the Great Salt Lake. Earlier this month, after installing the pilot plant, they successfully extracted lithium carbonate.

Depending on the types of impurities contained in the brine, salt lakes can produce lithium carbonate with purity ranging from 85% to 98%. If Geolith Energy consistently achieves a lithium recovery rate of over 95% from this salt lake, operational and production process costs will be significantly reduced, maximizing profits.

Although the Great Salt Lake is considered the world's largest salt lake, its high magnesium content in the brine has posed challenges for commercialization. However, the company emphasized that the success of this pilot plant marks a significant step forward toward the commercialization of lithium extraction from the Great Salt Lake.

The lithium direct extraction (DLE) technology applied by Geolith Energy, developed by Extralit, uses ion-exchange type adsorbents. Extralit holds three U.S. patents related to these adsorbents. They have also demonstrated approximately 95% lithium recovery rates from various sources ranging from wastewater to natural salt lakes.

A company representative stated, “Company A, which is collaborating on the project, has high expectations for the test results,” adding, “We plan to conduct detailed discussions with Company A regarding the operation of the mineral extraction rights.”

Geolith Energy also plans to discuss the full-scale installation and early operation of production facilities with Company A. The company expressed confidence that, given the excellent infrastructure around Company A, rapid results can be achieved after the installation of production facilities.

The representative further explained, “Company A’s salt lake has very convenient access to major roads and railways for unloading and equipment transportation. Freshwater access is available through the municipal water supply, and a continuous supply of brine for extracting large quantities of lithium can be obtained from the developed salt lake. The area also has a well-established power grid necessary for the lithium project.”

Based on these test results, the company plans to begin discussions with mineral extraction rights holders across the United States. The company noted that many firms have already inquired about partnerships. As of January last year, confirmed lithium resources in the U.S. amount to approximately 12 million tons, with 63% of these located in salt lakes. Therefore, forming partnerships with DLE companies that possess both economic feasibility and technological capability is considered crucial.

The representative added, “Through this pilot test, we have revalidated both economic feasibility and technological capability, and only the integration into the commercialization phase remains,” concluding, “We aim to lead the electric vehicle ecosystem by producing lithium that benefits from the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.