DLE Weekly delivers the latest insights on Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies, industry developments, and market trends. Stay tuned to see how DLE is shaping the future of sustainable energy.
DLE Weekly - 23 May 2025
Global Business, BICHEM Group
Rio Tinto’s push into "white gold" EV metal
Chile’s Codelco will partner with global mining giant Rio Tinto for its new Maricunga lithium project, the state miner said on Monday, bringing a major new player into the sector in the world's second-largest producer of the EV battery metal.
International miners, car makers and battery firms are eager to secure supply of lithium, an ultra-light metal needed to power the shift toward electric vehicles. South America's “lithium triangle” - in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia - has the world's largest trove of the metal.
Rio Tinto will contribute up to $900 million in the deal to extract lithium from the Maricunga project in northern Chile, which has yet to be mined but is home to one of the world's highest concentrations of lithium in brine.
Rio will take a 49.99% share in the venture. Codelco - the world's top copper producer, which Chile's government has tasked with spearheading the state's push into lithium - will control the rest.
North American First Lithium Brine Project Got Greenlights
Arizona Lithium announced that it has received the green light for Phase 1 of its groundbreaking Prairie lithium project in Saskatchewan, Canada. This significant milestone marks the project as the first lithium brine venture in Saskatchewan and one of the earliest in North America to secure initial production approval.
The approved Phase 1 will focus on production at Pad #1, utilizing a commercial-scale direct lithium extraction (DLE) unit with the capacity to produce 150 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). Arizona Lithium emphasized that this unit represents a fully commercial-scale DLE system, providing a blueprint for replicating and scaling hip production in subsequent phases of the project.
Alongside this pivotal production approval, the company also unveiled an updated well network model. This revised model, built upon the data gathered from its 2024 drilling and completion program, has significantly boosted the estimated indicated resource that can be produced. The updated figures show a remarkable 120% increase, jumping to 17,000 tonnes per year of LCE from the previous estimate of 7,700 tonnes per year used in the project's prefeasibility study.
Vulcan Energy completes acquisition of Geox GmbH
Vulcan Energy has completed the acquisition of Geox GmbH, including its geothermal wells, renewable energy generation assets, and a geothermal and lithium licence around the City of Landau, Germany.
The assets, which include geothermal wells, are in the Landau region, which is also the location of Vulcan’s upstream Lithium Extraction Optimisation Plant (LEOP) and planned Geothermal and Lithium Extraction Plant (G-LEP).The assets will be used as part of Vulcan’s wider upstream Phase One Lionheart Project, to produce lithium for conversion into battery chemicals for European offtake partners, and to produce renewable energy for local consumers.
Vulcan currently estimates 20% of Phase One upstream brine production will come from this licence area for geothermal renewable energy and lithium production.The company plans to start initial supply to the City of Landau with renewable baseload heating as a first step.
Cornish Lithium acquires new technology and patents to strengthen end-to-end lithium production readiness
Cornish Lithium, an innovative mineral exploration and development company pioneering the clean extraction of lithium in the UK, has announced the purchase of cutting-edge technology developed by Australian group Lepidico.
The move gives Cornish Lithium the ability to mine, process, and refine battery-grade lithium hydroxide within its site at Trelavour Downs in Cornwall. This end-to-end ‘pit to battery-grade product’ capability helps to de-risk extraction, refining, and processing as the business moves at pace from research and development to full-scale UK lithium production.
Cornish Lithium’s acquisition follows extensive pilot testing of the technology under license since 2021. Cornish Lithium now owns sole rights to the intellectual property and associated patents of its lithium extraction process and intends to licence this technology globally under its own brand.
The new technology, incorporated into the company’s recently commissioned, state-of-the-art demonstration plant in Cornwall, operates at atmospheric pressure and at moderate temperature, significantly reducing carbon emissions and helping to set a new sustainability standard in the sector.
The acquisition reinforces the UK Government’s designation of the Trelavour Hard Rock Project as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and helps secure the UK’s future lithium supply, all on one single domestic site in Cornwall. The UK has the potential to produce over 50 000 tpy of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) from domestic sources by 2030. This acquisition is an important step on this journey.
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