IBAT Engages Slr to Validate Lithium Recovery for Modular, Mobile Lithium Plant
VANCOUVER, BC -- International Battery Metals Ltd. (the 'company') (CSE: IBAT) (OTC: IBATF) today announced that it has engaged SLR International Corporation (SLR) to review and validate the processes and lithium recovery results from its first-of-its-kind modular, mobile lithium extraction plant, currently operating in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The modular plant has been flow-testing lithium-bearing brine since early May, and extracting lithium chloride (LiCl) since mid-May, making IBAT the first company globally to successfully operate a commercial-scale mobile lithium extraction plant. The brine is sourced in the U.S. and is being delivered in significant volume via tanker truck.
SLR is a global leader in environmental and advisory solutions with a team of more than 2,300 professionals offering strategic advice and technical solutions from a network of over 100 offices in Europe, the US, Latin America, Canada, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. SLR specializes in energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, built environment, manufacturing and industry, financial services, and power sectors.
'We are pleased to be working with a team as experienced, technically innovative and globally-renowned as SLR to assess our processes and review our results,' said IBAT CEO Dr. John Burba. 'From the design stage, our goal has been to create a Mobile Direct Lithium Extraction (MDLE) technology that is environmentally superior to any technology currently in operation, yet able to achieve commercial scale and superior lithium recovery at a vastly lower cost. We believe this modular plant represents that evolution and third-party validation of our results is a key milestone in that journey.'
SLR is expected to begin its review and assessment later this summer.
The unique modular design of the company's lithium extraction plant allows for rapid deployment and swift onsite assembly. As currently configured in Lake Charles, the plant has the potential to produce 5,000 metric tons of commercial-grade lithium chloride on a lithium carbonate equivalent basis, each year. Thanks to its modular design, this same plant also has the potential to be expanded to produce up to 20,000 metric tons of LiCl per year, based on the capacity and composition of the brine resource.
The Lake Charles plant completed a full range of Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) in early May, which evaluated the equipment during and after the assembly process by verifying that it is built and operating in accordance with all design specifications.
IBAT anticipates that its patented modular and mobile design will allow access and a means to capitalize on a more diverse range of lithium-bearing brine resources, including smaller sites in varied terrain – including in the US – that are currently considered uneconomical due to the current, dominant extraction technologies. Its sustainable environmental performance is also poised to enable the creation of a thriving, clean lithium extraction industry in the US now and into the future.
'We believe that our modular plant technology, which can be built, deployed and brought on-line in a fraction of the time of traditional lithium mining plants and at a fraction of the price, can be an important step forward in lithium supply security in North America,' Dr. Burba said.
Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
-
Most popular related searches
Customer comments
No comments were found for IBAT Engages Slr to Validate Lithium Recovery for Modular, Mobile Lithium Plant. Be the first to comment!