Raw Materials

Raw Materials

Lithium 101 | Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE)

Companies turn towards direct lithium extraction due to difficulties accessing hard rock minerals and the time/water intensity of brines

>90% lithium recovery >99% impurity removal 200-100x lithium concentration factor

DLE should be:

less impactful to the environment (less water intensive)

lower carbon production

lower water consumption

powered by renewable energy (although technically brines do this)

Reduce time spent getting a mine/refinery up and running

70-80% efficient in terms of conversion

Source: Battery Talk: Lithium in Batteries Part 1, Battery Talk: Lithium in Batteries Part 2,,Battery Talk: Lithium in Batteries Part 3

Lithium 101 | Direct Lithium Extraction

Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.