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Released September 11, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Though market prices are historically low, SLB (NYSE:SLB) (Houston, Texas) said it has found a way to accelerate the production of lithium at scale at a demonstration facility in Nevada.
SLB is testing a proprietary method for lithium extraction at a test plant in Clayton Valley dubbed differentiated direct lithium extraction (DLE). Most methods for producing lithium rely on evaporation to get the material out of a brine solution. DLE, by contrast, draws from lithium-rich solutions, reducing water requirements and lessening the environmental impact.
Furthermore, the company says its method is a staggering 500 times quicker than conventional methods. Operating at 10% of the size of a comparable commercial-scale plant, SLB, formerly Schlumberger, said Tuesday that Clayton Valley had a recovery rate of 96% lithium from brine solutions.
"Lithium is a key enabler of electrification, so we must find ways to accelerate its production without adversely affecting the environment," said Gavin Rennick, president of SLB's New Energy business.
What's more, SLB says its method takes only a few hours, relative to months-long processes that have much lower recovery rates for lithium.
Plans for the pilot facility in Nevada were announced in 2021, and the extraction method itself was backed by a $15 million investment from SLB's New Energy division.
Joe Govreau, vice president of research for Metals & Minerals at Industrial Info, said it would be welcome news if SLB's method was indeed pioneering. Rival projects such as the Imperial Valley Lithium operation in California have faced setbacks in scaling up and proving DLE, though pilot developments are promising, he added.
Lithium is a sought-after element that helps power everything from cellular phones and portable radios, to electric vehicles (EVs). But the market for EVs may have peaked amid sticker shock and range anxiety.
Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) (Toyota City, Japan) said recently it would lean more on its hybrid models, while Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) (Dearborn, Michigan) said just last month that it would halt production of an electric SUV line and cut its EV investments from 40% to 30% of its total capital expenditures.
Meanwhile, the lithium market itself is saturated. China, the world's second-largest economy behind the United States and the manufacturing base for many of the products powered by lithium-ion batteries, accounts for about 60% of the world's total lithium chemical output.
Lithium prices in China recently hit a low not seen since July.
In the North American market, Piedmont Lithium Incorporated (NASDAQ:PLL) (Belmont, North Carolina) recently pulled an application for a federal U.S. loan after reconsidering some of its operational plans. Its North American Lithium (NAL) joint venture, controlled by Australian lithium supplier Sayona Mining Limited (Milton, Queensland), is the largest mine for spodumene, a crystalline mineral that is a commercially important source of lithium. It's located in Quebec. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
Piedmont during the second quarter reported that it produced about 49,700 dry metric tons of spodumene concentrate at NAL, a 23% increase from first-quarter levels.
Elsewhere, North Carolina-based lithium miner Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) (Charlotte, North Carolina) aims to increase its own production from 6,000 tons per year of lithium carbonate to 10,000 tons per year, adding to perceptions of a bloated market.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
SLB is testing a proprietary method for lithium extraction at a test plant in Clayton Valley dubbed differentiated direct lithium extraction (DLE). Most methods for producing lithium rely on evaporation to get the material out of a brine solution. DLE, by contrast, draws from lithium-rich solutions, reducing water requirements and lessening the environmental impact.
Furthermore, the company says its method is a staggering 500 times quicker than conventional methods. Operating at 10% of the size of a comparable commercial-scale plant, SLB, formerly Schlumberger, said Tuesday that Clayton Valley had a recovery rate of 96% lithium from brine solutions.
"Lithium is a key enabler of electrification, so we must find ways to accelerate its production without adversely affecting the environment," said Gavin Rennick, president of SLB's New Energy business.
What's more, SLB says its method takes only a few hours, relative to months-long processes that have much lower recovery rates for lithium.
Plans for the pilot facility in Nevada were announced in 2021, and the extraction method itself was backed by a $15 million investment from SLB's New Energy division.
Joe Govreau, vice president of research for Metals & Minerals at Industrial Info, said it would be welcome news if SLB's method was indeed pioneering. Rival projects such as the Imperial Valley Lithium operation in California have faced setbacks in scaling up and proving DLE, though pilot developments are promising, he added.
Lithium is a sought-after element that helps power everything from cellular phones and portable radios, to electric vehicles (EVs). But the market for EVs may have peaked amid sticker shock and range anxiety.
Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) (Toyota City, Japan) said recently it would lean more on its hybrid models, while Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) (Dearborn, Michigan) said just last month that it would halt production of an electric SUV line and cut its EV investments from 40% to 30% of its total capital expenditures.
Meanwhile, the lithium market itself is saturated. China, the world's second-largest economy behind the United States and the manufacturing base for many of the products powered by lithium-ion batteries, accounts for about 60% of the world's total lithium chemical output.
Lithium prices in China recently hit a low not seen since July.
In the North American market, Piedmont Lithium Incorporated (NASDAQ:PLL) (Belmont, North Carolina) recently pulled an application for a federal U.S. loan after reconsidering some of its operational plans. Its North American Lithium (NAL) joint venture, controlled by Australian lithium supplier Sayona Mining Limited (Milton, Queensland), is the largest mine for spodumene, a crystalline mineral that is a commercially important source of lithium. It's located in Quebec. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
Piedmont during the second quarter reported that it produced about 49,700 dry metric tons of spodumene concentrate at NAL, a 23% increase from first-quarter levels.
Elsewhere, North Carolina-based lithium miner Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) (Charlotte, North Carolina) aims to increase its own production from 6,000 tons per year of lithium carbonate to 10,000 tons per year, adding to perceptions of a bloated market.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
