Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe B. Lovelace on October 23, 2023 at 8:11

Attached is a PowerPoint Presentation - "Element Three: Is Producing Brine to Extract  Lithium the New Gold Rush" by attorneys in the Jackson Walker Law Firm, San Antonio reproduced here with their permission.

Attachments:

• Jackson Walker Brine Presentation.pptx, 5.8 MB

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on October 24, 2023 at 6:00

Full Circle Lithium Achieves 99%+ Lithium Recovery At Its First Deployed Demo Plant Representing A Significant Industry Extraction Milestone

CNW Group Tue, October 24, 2023

 

Excerpt.  Link to full article at bottom.

Utilizing its proprietary lithium extraction technology, FCL's large-scale demonstration plant deployed to a client's chemical facilities has recovered over 99% of the lithium from the client's effluent brine solution, over multiple cycles.

The successful results of FCL's demonstration plant to date mark a major milestone for FCL and the wider lithium extraction and recycling industry.

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/full-circle-lithium-achieves-99-1100...

Permalink Reply by Rock Man on October 24, 2023 at 6:06

That % is hard to believe. Wonder how many cycles needed to do this??

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on October 24, 2023 at 6:16

And I wonder about the volume cycled since this was an "on site" small footprint DLE - its first modular demonstration lithium extraction and processing plant (the "FCL Demo Plant")

The FCL Demo Plant utilizing proprietary extraction and processing technology (or "LEP" technology, which is a form of direct lithium extraction or "DLE"), has now been operating for several weeks. The FCL Demo Plant has successfully extracted over 99% of the lithium from ChemicalCo1's lithium effluent in multiple cycles. FCL is now focused on ramping up the FCL Demo Plant to full and continuous processing capacity over the next several weeks to meet the demonstration parameters set with the client. This is a significant achievement for the lithium industry, as there are few examples of what FCL has achieved in its first LEP installation.

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on October 25, 2023 at 2:06

Standard Lithium Delivers Highest-Ever North American Lithium Brine Grade 806 mg/L; East Texas Asset Includes Significant Potash and Bromine Concentrations

News Provided By GlobeNewswire October 25, 2023, 05:01 GMT

 

/EIN News/ -- EL DORADO, Ark., Oct. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard Lithium Ltd. (“Standard Lithium” or the “Company”) (TSXV:SLI) (NYSE American:SLI) (FRA:S5L), a leading near-commercial lithium company, today reported another significant milestone in its ongoing Smackover expansion efforts. As part of its extensive work in East Texas, the Company has drilled and sampled a new highest confirmed lithium grade brine, measuring 806 mg/L. In addition, comprehensive brine analyses from all three of the Company’s new wells in East Texas show highly elevated concentrations of potash (KCl) and bromine, signifying a large potential for these commodities. The drilling work and continued resource evaluation are from areas where the Company has secured the rights to all minerals contained in the brine.

Dr. Andy Robinson, President and COO of Standard Lithium commented, “This most recent brine sample from our newest well in East Texas confirms the exceptional quality of the lithium brine assets we’re acquiring in East Texas. With a new confirmed lithium analysis of 806 mg/L and an average grade of 644 mg/L in our drilled area, we believe that we have identified a globally significant lithium brine asset. This work has been made possible by our team of Smackover experts who, over the past three years have identified the most prospective, highest quality development areas in East Texas.”

Dr. Robinson continued, “We understand that lithium grade is one of the most significant factors when considering the economics of a lithium brine project. We are committed to securing the highest-grade and potentially largest lithium brine resource outside of Argentina and Chile. Additionally, the highly elevated concentrations of potassium and bromine in all three of our new wells support our understanding that Standard Lithium now also controls a project with very large potash and bromine potential. While we continue to assess the potential value of these new discoveries, we believe that they could be accretive for the Company and present significant additional upside.”

Strategic Importance

The Smackover Formation represents North America's premier lithium brine asset, with grades comparable to certain resources in South America. As detailed in the Company’s Definitive Feasibility Study, the Phase 1A project in El Dorado, Arkansas, contemplates average production of 5,400 tonnes per annum (“tpa”) of battery-quality lithium carbonate over a 25-year operating life, with an average lithium grade of 217 mg/L. The Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Company’s South West Arkansas Project outlines plans for at least 30,000 tpa of battery-quality lithium hydroxide over a 20-year operating life, with an average reported lithium grade of 437 mg/L.

Average lithium grades in the Company’s projects indicate an increasing trend moving westward from Phase 1A (217 mg/L) to the South West Arkansas Project (437 mg/L) and finally, into East Texas (644 mg/L). In Standard Lithium’s experience, higher lithium grades in brine are directly correlated with lower capital and operating expenses per tonne of lithium produced, thereby enhancing the economic viability of potential projects.

Analysis and Testing Details

The Standard Lithium team, comprised of technically diverse Smackover specialists and a robust team of land professionals, has been working in the Smackover Formation in East Texas for over 3.5 years. The Company shared initial sample analysis from expansion work completed in the latter half of 2022 and early 2023, as well as more recent drilling data (see news release dated 10 October 2023).

The data provided in this news release are from three recently drilled and sampled wells in the East Texas Smackover (ETX New Wells #1, #2 & #3). The below samples were analyzed and reported by Western Environmental Testing Laboratories of Sparks, Nevada, a third-party, accredited testing facility.

Table 1: ETX New Wells #1, #2 & #3 Lithium Brine Analyses in Standard Lithium East Texas Project Area

East Texas Sampling Location Name [1]	Lithium	Potassium	Bromine [3]
	Concentration (mg/L)
ETX New Well #1 - Upper Smackover Zone Sample A	634	13,200	4,200
ETX New Well #1 - Upper Smackover Zone Sample B	594	12,500	4,400
ETX New Well #1 - Middle Smackover Zone Sample A	572	11,100	4,200
ETX New Well #1 - Middle Smackover Zone Sample B	583	11,300	4,300
ETX New Well #1 - Lower Smackover Zone Sample A	621	12,100	4,400
ETX New Well #1 - Lower Smackover Zone Sample B	612	11,900	4,600
ETX New Well #2 - Upper Smackover Zone Sample A	663	12,000	3,800
ETX New Well #2 - Upper Smackover Zone Sample B	613	12,300	3,700
ETX New Well #3 - Upper Smackover Zone Sample A	806	16,800	4,800
ETX New Well #3 - Upper Smackover Zone Sample B	739	14,900	4,800
Average Concentration [2]	644	12,810	4,320

^{Notes:
[1] Smackover Formation descriptors (Upper, Middle, and Lower) are a local project area naming convention. East Texas New Well from the March 28, 2023 press release is the same as ETX New Well #1 in Table 1.
[2] For East Texas wells, average of all samples taken from the wellbore, including duplicates where applicable to provide a representative brine sample
[3] Analysis reported as bromide}

Figure 1: ETX New Well #3 in East Texas

Quality Person

Steve Ross, P.Geol., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the relevant scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr. Ross is a consultant to the Company.

About Standard Lithium Ltd.

Standard Lithium is a leading near-commercial lithium development company focused on the sustainable development of a portfolio of lithium-brine bearing properties in the United States.  The Company prioritizes brine projects characterized by the highest-grade resources, robust infrastructure, skilled labor, and streamlined permitting. The Company aims to achieve sustainable, commercial-scale lithium production via the application of a scalable and fully-integrated Direct Lithium Extraction and purification process. The Company’s flagship projects, the Phase 1A Project and the South West Arkansas Project, are located on the Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas near the Louisiana state line, a region with a long-standing and established brine processing industry. The Company has also identified a number of highly prospective lithium brine project areas in the Smackover Formation in East Texas and began an extensive brine leasing program in the key project areas.  In addition, the Company has an interest in certain mineral leases located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.

Standard Lithium trades on both the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American under the symbol “SLI”; and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “S5L”. Please visit the Company’s website at www.standardlithium.com.

 

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/663998743/standard-lithium-delivers...

Twitter: @standardlithium
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-lithium/

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”, “schedule” and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to intended development timelines, future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, potential exploration expansions, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for lithium and its derivatives, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Canada and the United States, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

 

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on November 1, 2023 at 4:57

Standard Lithium Exercises Option Agreement on South West Arkansas Project, Solidifying Path Forward Following Positive Feasibility Study and Rising Regional Interest

Standard Lithium Tue, October 31, 2023

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard Lithium Ltd. (“Standard Lithium” or the “Company”) (TSXV:SLI) (NYSE American:SLI) (FRA:S5L), a leading near-commercial lithium company, today announced the exercise of its option agreement (the “Agreement”) with TETRA Technologies, Inc. (“TETRA”) for the South West Arkansas (“SWA”) Project. This significant move affirms the Company’s strategic direction, and builds on the positive insights garnered from the recent Preliminary Feasibility Study (“PFS”).

“This is an important and natural step for us as we advance our South West Arkansas Project,” said Andy Robinson, President and COO of Standard Lithium. “Our primary goal is to unlock the commercial potential of the Smackover Formation. The TETRA acreage within the SWA project area has delivered outstanding results from our exploration efforts. Our defined total resource has grown over 100% within the last five years, with an improved average lithium concentration of 437 mg/L. Having secured the exclusive lithium brine rights, we are poised to progress the SWA project to FEED and Definitive Feasibility Study stages.”

The Agreement entered into with TETRA in 2017 granted the Company the exclusive option, exercisable over a ten-year period, to the brine production rights on approximately 27,000 net acres of brine leases located in Columbia and Lafayette Counties, Arkansas. Exploration activities on the brine leases commenced in 2018 to identify the presence of lithium-bearing brines, and shortly thereafter, the Company announced a maiden inferred mineral resource of 802,000 tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent (“LCE”) at an average lithium concentration of 199 mg/L from the area now known as the SWA Project.

Most recently, the Company completed a Preliminary Feasibility Study (“PFS”) for the SWA Project, which demonstrated robust economics and some of the highest reported lithium brine concentrations in North America. The PFS indicates base-case production of 30,000 tonnes per annum (“tpa”) of battery-quality lithium hydroxide with the potential to produce up to 35,000 tpa over a 20-year operating life. The base-case project economics yielded a pre-tax NPV of US$4.5 billion and IRR of 41%, assuming production of 30,000 tpa. The Company anticipates completing a FEED and Definitive Feasibility Study for the SWA Project in 2024 and beginning construction in 2025. First commercial production is expected in 2027.

Standard Lithium remains consistent in its strategic approach, securing additional leases and property rights across the Smackover Formation in Arkansas and regions of East Texas with high potential. As the Company advances the Phase 1A Project and its broader initiatives, it actively explores opportunities for strategic partnerships and offtake agreements.

About Standard Lithium Ltd.

Standard Lithium is a leading near-commercial lithium development company focused on the sustainable development of a portfolio of lithium-brine bearing properties in the United States.   The Company prioritizes brine projects characterized by high-grade resources, robust infrastructure, skilled labor, and streamlined permitting. The Company aims to achieve sustainable, commercial-scale lithium production via the application of a scalable and fully-integrated Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) and purification process. The Company’s signature projects, the Phase 1A Project and the South West Arkansas Project, are located on the Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas near the Louisiana state line, a region with a long-standing and established brine processing industry. The Company has also identified a number of highly prospective lithium brine project areas in the Smackover Formation in East Texas and began an extensive brine leasing program in the key project areas.  In addition, the Company has an interest in certain mineral leases located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.

Standard Lithium trades on both the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American under the symbol “SLI”; and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “S5L”. Please visit the Company’s website at www.standardlithium.com.

Qualified Person

Steve Ross, P.Geol., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and Vice President Resource Development for the Company, has reviewed and approved the relevant scientific and technical information in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”, “schedule” and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to intended development timelines, future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for lithium and its derivatives, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Canada and the United States, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

 

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on November 6, 2023 at 11:21

CEO Darren Woods: Exxon’s Early Lithium Production Efforts ‘Promising’

Chris Mathews Sun, November 5, 2023  yahoo.com

Exxon Mobil’s early foray into lithium brine production is “looking more and more promising,” CEO Darren Woods said in third-quarter earnings.

Spring, Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp. looks to deploy $17 billion into low-carbon investments in the coming years, including carbon capture, hydrogen and biofuels.

But the U.S. oil and gas giant has also quietly evaluated opportunities to produce lithium from brine water in the Smackover formation, Woods said.

“It fits very well with our capabilities and on the cost of supply curve,” Woods said during Exxon’s third-quarter earnings call with analysts. “It’s very competitive, so it looks attractive.”

So far, Exxon has kept its plans around lithium production close to the chest.

The company acquired drilling rights for more than 100,000 gross acres in southern Arkansas for lithium brine production, The Wall Street Journal reported in May. An Exxon subsidiary, Saltwerx LLC, signed a memorandum of understanding with services company Tetra Technologies Inc. to develop Smackover acreage for potential lithium production, Reuters reported.

Woods said Exxon has challenged Dan Ammann, president of its Low Carbon Solutions segment, to develop a business plan for lithium production that can effectively compete for capital in Exxon’s project portfolio.

“As Dan and his team develop that concept and that potential business, that’s looking more and more promising,” he said. “We see an opportunity to really leverage the things that we’re pretty good at in the base case, and it’s very synergistic with our traditional businesses.”

Other players are also seeing opportunities for lithium production in the Smackover Formation. In early October, Canadian firm Standard Lithium confirmed it found what is believed to be the highest grade lithium brine in North America in the East Texas portion of the Smackover Formation.

 

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on November 11, 2023 at 11:24

Exclusive: Exxon aims to begin lithium production by 2026 in Arkansas

By Ernest Scheyder  November 11, 2023  reuters.com

Nov 11 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) is set to unveil its long-awaited lithium strategy on Monday with an announcement that it aims to start production of the electric vehicle (EV) battery metal in Arkansas by 2026, according to a source with direct knowledge of the oil major's plans.

Exxon's expansion into the sector comes as emerging technologies aim to boost global production of the ultralight metal by filtering it from salty brine deposits found across the globe and supplying it to battery makers eager for fresh sources.

Exxon, which invented the lithium-ion battery in the 1970s but stepped away from the technology, plans to begin producing at least 10,000 metric tons per year of lithium in Arkansas by 2026 with partner Tetra Technologies (TTI.N) in what has been labeled "Project Evergreen," according to the source.

That initial production would be roughly equivalent to the amount needed to produce 100,000 EV batteries.

Reuters reported this year that Exxon had agreed to develop more than 6,100 lithium-rich acres in Arkansas with Tetra, which produces chemicals for water treatment and recycling.

Exxon has been drilling wells in Arkansas this year to study the vast Smackover Formation, a geological formation stretching from Florida to Texas that teems with lithium- and bromine-rich brine. The company has also been testing unproven direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology that will be crucial for commercial operations, according to the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

An Exxon spokesperson declined to comment. A representative for Tetra was not immediately available to comment.

For Exxon and other oil companies, lithium production offers the prospect of selling a new product with relatively little added cost. Darren Woods, Exxon CEO since 2017, told investors during a call on Oct. 4 that the lithium sector was "fairly promising."

He also said: "We see an opportunity to really leverage the things that we're pretty good at."

Exxon, like other fossil fuel producers, has faced pressure to reduce carbon emissions from operations. Reuters reported this year that Exxon shareholder Engine No. 1 had pressured the company to deploy DLE.

Exxon is not expected to publicly announce which DLE technology it has chosen, according to the source. The company has a long-standing pattern of not disclosing some vendors.

Reuters reported this year that Exxon and Chevron (CVX.N) held talks with International Battery Metals (IBAT.CD) and EnergySource Minerals about licensing DLE technology.

OTHER ACREAGE

Separate from its Tetra partnership, Exxon also controls more than 100,000 acres in Arkansas from which it plans to begin lithium production by 2027, according to the source.

Exxon acquired that acreage this year from privately held Galvanic Energy, Reuters reported.

It was not clear whether Exxon plans to expand lithium operations outside Arkansas. Like all oil producers, Exxon extracts water containing traces of lithium as part of fossil fuel production. That could help the oil industry morph into the world's largest lithium supplier, if DLE technologies can be commercialized.

Exxon, like Albemarle (ALB.N), Standard Lithium (SLI.V) and others aiming to produce the battery metal in Arkansas, face a key regulatory roadblock. The southern U.S. state, just north of Louisiana, has a royalty structure for bromine, which Albemarle has long produced there, but not for lithium, which could delay development in the short term.

The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, which overseas lithium operations in the state, has said it plans to hold hearings on the matter.

Exxon plans to send at least six representatives to the Benchmark Minerals conference next week in Los Angeles, according to an attendance list seen by Reuters. It would mark the company's first attendance at the major critical minerals conference.

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on November 15, 2023 at 12:29

As Exxon eyes lithium, crucial decision looms on filtration technology

Reuters | November 14, 2023 | Battery Metals Energy USA Lithium 

Exxon Mobil has yet to decide which lithium filtration technology it will deploy as part of its aggressive plans to become one of the world’s top producers of the metal used to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries, an executive said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the oil giant unveiled its long-awaited lithium strategy and said it aims to filter the ultralight metal from reservoirs about 10,000 feet beneath the US state of Arkansas. Reuters first reported the news last weekend.

Sign Up for the Battery Metals Digest

Exxon’s expansion into the sector will rely on one or more of a so-far unproven fleet of direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies that Eramet, Sunresin, Rio Tinto and others are working to commercialize.

Choosing which DLE technology to license will be a crucial decision upon which Exxon’s production of the battery metal will rely. The company has held talks with a range of DLE technology providers, including International Battery Metals and privately held EnergySource Minerals.

“We haven’t chosen a (DLE) company yet. We’re in the process of evaluating a number of companies,” Patrick Howarth, Exxon’s global product manager for lithium, said in an interview on the sidelines of the Benchmark Week 2023 strategic minerals conference in Los Angeles.

The company will provide details on its DLE process once it formally decides to proceed with its lithium project, a technical step known as formal investment decision, he said. He declined to be more specific on timing.

Even though it has yet to pick a DLE technology, Exxon is confident it can start producing lithium by 2027 on 120,000 acres in Arkansas that it acquired earlier this year, Howarth said.

“What we’ve seen as we’ve looked at a number of the (DLE) technology providers is pretty consistent abilities on the brine that we’ve got within Arkansas to extract lithium,” he said.

Because it not yet chosen a DLE technology, Exxon also has not yet forecast how much lithium it ultimately aims to produce. The company is drilling test wells across Arkansas to study the underground brine reservoir.

“From there, we’ll be able to come back with a more fulsome number about production ambitions,” Howarth said.

Separately, Exxon has a lithium partnership with Tetra Technologies to develop a smaller parcel in Arkansas that is expected to be producing 10,000 metric tons of lithium per year by 2026.

Exxon is also studying where else in the world it could produce lithium, Howarth said.

(By Ernest Scheyder; Editing by David Gregorio)

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on November 16, 2023 at 2:02

ExxonMobil drills first lithium well in Arkansas’ Smackover formation

Nov. 14, 2023 Mikaila Adams  ogj.com

 

Exxon Mobil Corp. started work on the company’s first phase of North America lithium production in southwest Arkansas.

Exxon Mobil Corp. started work on the company’s first phase of North America lithium production in southwest Arkansas.

The energy major said it is working with local and state officials to enable a scale-up of the lithium industry in the state and aims to become a leading supplier of lithium for use in electric vehicle (EV) batteries by 2030, according to a release Nov. 13.

The geology of southwest Arkansas, an area known to hold significant lithium deposits, is well understood through its history as an oil and natural gas producer, according to ExxonMobil. The company holds about 120,000 gross acres in the Smackover formation and is targeting first production in 2027.

ExxonMobil will use conventional oil and gas drilling methods to access lithium-rich saltwater from reservoirs about 10,000 ft underground, and then apply direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology to separate lithium from the saltwater, the company said. The lithium will then be converted onsite to battery-grade material and remaining saltwater reinjected into the underground reservoirs.

Overall, the DLE process produces fewer carbon emissions than hard rock mining and requires significantly less land, according to the company.

“DLE has gained increasing momentum in the Smackover due to multiple limitations on the ability to evaporate brine reservoirs,” said TD Cowen analysts in an investor’s note Nov. 14. “The application has limited commerciality outside of Livent [Corp.]'s longstanding absorption operations in Argentina though DLE has gained recent appeal for targeted recovery improvements and favorable environmental impacts to brine ecosystems vs. traditional evaporation methods,” the analysts continued.

ExxonMobil's lithium moves 

As for ExxonMobil’s participation in the space, the analysts said it suggests “leveraging proprietary techniques around water and solids management to economically produce lithium at scale. Projects tend to be bespoke to each reservoir and have ranged in capital intensity from $30,000-50,000/tonne of LCE [lithium carbonate equivalent] capacity.”

In its Nov. 13 release, ExxonMobil said it expects lithium demand to quadruple by 2030.

The company acquired its Smackover rights from Galvanic Energy in early 2023.  Oklahoma City-based Galvanic said the asset—which lies close to current and proposed EV and battery manufacturing infrastructure—is estimated to contain 4 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent.

“With test wells yielding 290-520 mg/L lithium within our top tier area and the entire prospect averaging 325 mg/L lithium, this prospect is one of the most concentrated lithium brine reservoirs in North America,” said Brent Wilson, president and chief executive of Galvanic Energy, in November 2022.

Building on the deal with Galvanic, ExxonMobil entered into a partnership with Tetra Technologies Inc. to jointly develop 6,100 lithium-rich Smackover formation acres.

As part of its third-quarter report Oct. 30, Tetra Technologies’ president and chief executive officer Brady Murphy said it received “unanimous approval by the Arkansas Oil & Gas Commission (AOGC) of the 6,138-acre joint brine unit application, giving Tetra and our partner the rights to develop and produce the brine for bromine production and future lithium production once the lithium royalty is established by the AOGC.”

Additionally, he said, data gathering and sampling operations for a second test well yielded lithium measurements in the upper Smackover “as high as 646 mg/l,” 35% higher than the first test well reported in September 2022, “and bromine values of 5,890 mg/l, in line with the first test well.”

In its third-quarter earnings report, ExxonMobil called lithium production promising, and expectations are that the company could disclose more in its next Corporate Plan update Dec. 6.

 

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on November 16, 2023 at 3:05

EnergyX Aims New Solid-State EV Battery At The 500,000-Mile Car Of The Future

November 15, 2023 Tina Casey  cleantechnica.com

Electric vehicles are just like ordinary gas guzzlers in some respects, including their lifespan. They need to be replaced every once in a while. That kicks a whole ecosystem of automotive supply chain activity into gear, with a new carbon footprint piling up along the way. A longer-lasting solid-state EV battery would help cut those lifecycle emissions, and the startup EnergyX is among those hammering away at the problem.

The lifespan of a typical electric vehicle battery has a lot to do with driving habits as well as local road and climate conditions. The generally accepted rule of thumb is 10-20 years, though the current practice is to warranty the battery for eight years.

In terms of the electric vehicle lifespan, the lithium supply chain has raised concerns over lifecycle environmental impacts related to surface mining and the use of open-air evaporation lagoons, among other issues.

The US Department of Energy has been searching for alternative solutions in the form of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies. If you’re familiar with the Hell’s Kitchen geothermal lithium project at the Salton Sea in California, that’s one example.

Last July, the Energy Department tapped EnergyX (aka Energy Exploration Technologies) to share a funding pot with nine other alternative lithium supply projects, aimed at extracting lithium from geothermal brine for the EV battery market.

The company received $5 million in funding, to be applied to a project called “Simplified High Purity Direct Lithium Hydroxide Production from Salton Sea Brines.”

In October, EnergyX got another shot of financial adrenaline from a group of Korean investors including Elohim Partners and IMM Investment Global, which counts the leading EV battery materials supply firm POSCO among its participants.

“POSCO will provide financial and strategic benefits to EnergyX to help the company accelerate its transition towards full commercialization,” EnergyX observed, noting that POSCO has also made a $4 billion commitment towards its lithium operation in Salta, Argentina.

If POSCO rings some bells, you may be thinking of the company’s solid-state battery venture with GM.

Meanwhile, on November 10 EnergyX drew attention to its integrated Direct Lithium Extraction operation, called the LiTAS™ DLE Platform.

The soup-to-nuts system is engineered to optimize the renewable energy from the geothermal operation. It “combines multiple technologies including Adsorption (AX), Solvent Extraction (SX), and Selective Membranes (MX) using both Electrodialysis (EDR), and Selective Bipolar Electrodialysis (sBPED) to create the most robust DLE system for lithium production,” EnergyX explains.

Patwardhan, EnergyX’s Chief Technology Officer, offers this explanation in somewhat plainer language:

“We have taken a ground up approach. Our team of industry leaders and experts in each area surveyed the competitive technologies and addressed specific shortcomings of each technology by developing new adsorbents, extractants, membranes, operating and control philosophies, and process arrangements to deliver the best techno-economic solution for every brine.”

“The platform we have built around LiTAS™ is a game changer for the entire industry. Not only have we proved recovery rates at higher than 94% lithium, but our technology uses a fraction of the freshwater to other DLE competitors,” adds EnergyX founder and CEO Teague Egan.

EnergyX provided CleanTechnica with an advance look at the latest news on its proprietary SoLiS electrolyte for new solid-state EV battery technology, which it broadcast earlier today.

Compared to the liquid electrolytes used in conventional EV batteries, new solid-state batteries offer longer lifespan, better range and charging performance, and less cost. The solid-state field is still relatively new, but the pace of innovation has been accelerating towards full commercialization (see more CleanTechnica solid-state coverage here).

EnergyX’s new solid-state EV battery electrolyte is still in the development phase, but the company is reporting a lifespan of more than 600 cycles for the technology under the proprietary name EnergyX SoLiS, with a goal of more than 1,000 cycles in its sights.

“While still in the development cycle, batteries constructed with these materials have exceeded 600 cycles. These solid electrolytes have extraordinary properties including high conductivity,” EnergyX reported.

“Not only that, the materials are extremely cost-effective and simple to process,” they add. “The company is confident that a solid-state, lithium metal battery derived from EnergyX’s discovery could power an electric vehicle for about 500,000 miles and 600+ miles per charge. Batteries with these capabilities will make EVs more affordable, and accelerate the green energy transition.”

Of course, a longer lasting, solid-state EV battery is just one element in the lifespan and environmental impacts of a car. For that matter, alternative transportation including bicycles and e-bikes, mass transit, and walkable communities would help reduce those impacts considerably.

However, to the extent that a long-lasting EV battery helps reduce supply chain impacts, that’s a good thing. For example, the average driver in the US goes 13,476 miles per year, though mileage varies considerably by age group and from state to state. Doing the math, that comes out to an average of 37 years of driving for an EV battery that lasts 500,000 miles. All else being equal, the average driver would only cycle through two cars, more or less, during their years of driving.

That sounds pretty impressive, but wear and tear on other parts, plus the ever present desire for a new car, would probably ratchet the lifespan of an average EV closer down to the average of 11.4 years generally cited for gasmobiles.

That underscores the importance of improving the cradle-to-grave impacts of a solid-state EV battery. The sustainable materials that go into a battery also need to be recycled coming out.

The Energy Department’s Lawrence Berekely National Laboratory is among those working to improve the recycling environment for a solid-state EV battery. Last August the lab issued an update on its efforts to develop a new, recycling-friendly approach to solid-state technology.

You can get all the details in the team’s latest paper, published in the journal Science Advances under the title, “Closed-loop cathode recycling in solid-state batteries enabled by supramolecular electrolytes.”

For those of you on the go, the lab explains that liquid electrolytes are tough to recycle, but solid-state technology also raises obstacles due to the difficulty in separating metals from two different parts of the battery, the electrolyte and the cathode.

To get around the problem, the research team is creating a solid electrolyte with a new class of lithium conductors called organo ionic (ORION), or ORION conductors for short.

The ORION conductors function normally while the battery is under use. When the battery is decommissioned, the conductors can be heated and dissolved. That opens the door for a relatively simple process for recovering the cathode particles and re-using them to make new batteries.

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on November 18, 2023 at 6:34

Oil Major ExxonMobil Details Plans To Be A Lithium Major, Too

David Blackmon  Senior Contributor  Nov 18, 2023  forbes.com

 The Biden administration’s hopes for establishing ample domestic sources and supply chains for one of the critical energy minerals required to power renewables and electric vehicles got a boost recently from a seemingly unlikely source: Houston-based ExxonMobil XOM +2.4%. The nation’s largest major oil company announced the commencement of a project that, if successful, will also make it a major supplier of domestically produced and processed lithium, a metal needed mainly as a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, but also for other applications relevant to the energy transition.

The project involves drilling vertical wells into a deep underground saltwater resource called the Smackover in southern Arkansas. Once completed, the wells will bring the water to the surface where ExxonMobil will deploy a direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology to remove the metal from the brine.

The DLE process will be able to extract up to 90% of the lithium resource, which compares to roughly 50% recovered through the traditional process of using enormous evaporation surface ponds. In its release, the company points out that the process produces lower emissions and requires less land footprint than hard rock mining. Obviously, there are the added environmental and energy security benefits of supplying a domestic resource as opposed to importing it from distant lands through supply chains largely controlled by China.

“This project is a win-win-win,” Dan Ammann, President of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, said. “It’s a perfect example of how ExxonMobil can enhance North American energy security, expand supplies of a critical industrial material, and enable the continued reduction of emissions associated with transportation, which is essential to meeting society’s net-zero goals.”

Once the lithium has been removed, the water will be reinjected back into the deep (roughly 10,000 ft. on average) formation, and the recovered lithium will be converted onsite into a battery grade material. ExxonMobil says if the project goes according to plan, it will become one of the country’s leading suppliers of lithium by 2030.

There is every reason to believe that this project will be a success. The magnitude of the Smackover resource has long been understood, and from a process, scientific and technological standpoint, it appears to be right in the ExxonMobil wheelhouse. When I pointed that out to Patrick Howarth, the company’s Lithium Global Business Manager in a recent interview, he confirmed that is no accident. “That’s really our low carbon strategy, to identify opportunities where we have skills and capabilities that we can bring to these important challenges, for example, lithium,” he said. “The world urgently needs more lithium. Its demand is anticipated to grow by four X by 2030. So, we need a lot more. North America needs a lot more.”

In that way, this lithium project echoes the company’s previously-announced low carbon ventures into the realms of hydrogen hub creation and carbon capture and storage. All three areas involve the kinds of major projects for which the company already has the expertise on staff to successfully design and execute.

Indeed, Howarth says the process, personnel and equipment involved in the drilling of these lithium wells will be essentially identical to the drilling of a 10,000 ft. vertical oil or natural gas well. Even the below-ground geologic structure itself is well-understood and has been targeted by oil and gas drillers for decades. The Arkansas Geological Survey says the Smackover formation was discovered in 1922 and has produced over 600 million barrels of oil since that time. In preparation for this project, ExxonMobil has secured leasing rights to 120,000 acres in Southern Arkansas.

Another unique advantage ExxonMobil brings to this specific project is its longstanding relationships with major carmakers. “We've got decades-long experience of developing automotive technology innovation with them, something we feel is a real differentiator for us,” Howarth says. This will no doubt be a key advantage for establishing a customer base for the lithium production. “We're in discussions with automakers and battery makers,” Howarth adds. “We've seen really positive support from the potential customer base about the offering we're bringing to market, so I anticipate ultimately a quite diverse portfolio of customers.”

The Bottom Line

There seems little doubt Howarth is correct when he points to the pressing need to bring additional volumes of lithium to the market in North America and globally. The new quantities must be massive if the Biden goals for rapid growth and adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. are to be met or even approached in the coming decade.

In a speech delivered November 15 at the APEC Summit in San Francisco, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods talked about the central role the oil and gas industry must play to make this energy transition a success. In part, he said, “While renewable energy is essential to help the world achieve net zero, it is not sufficient - wind and solar alone can’t solve emissions in the industrial sectors that are at the heart of a modern society. The technologies ExxonMobil is pursuing can.”

This venture into the lithium space by the country’s biggest oil major shows just how essential companies like ExxonMobil, with all the technical, scientific, engineering, and project execution expertise they can bring to the table, will remain for decades to come. The simple reality is that this energy transition will not be possible without maintaining a healthy and thriving oil and gas industry.

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