Latest news with #DirectLithiumExtraction
Business Wire
23-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Rio Tinto and ENAMI sign binding agreement for Salares Altoandinos lithium project in Chile
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rio Tinto and Empresa Nacional de Minería (ENAMI), a state-owned Chilean mining company, signed a binding agreement to form a joint venture to develop the Salares Altoandinos lithium project in the Atacama region. The signing follows a 23 May announcement of Rio Tinto's nomination as the preferred partner for the project. As previously announced, Rio Tinto has agreed to acquire a controlling 51% interest in the project and provide up to $425 million cash and non-cash contributions including its Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Technology. The cash contributions will include staged spending to sole fund the pre-feasibility study and further studies, subject to the joint venture progressing through investment stage-gates. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Rio Tinto Minerals Chief Executive Sinead Kaufmann said: 'We are continuing to execute our strategy of building a world-class lithium portfolio to position Rio Tinto as a global leader in the responsible supply of critical minerals essential to the energy transition. The Salares Altoandinos project represents a significant opportunity to develop a large-scale, long-life, low-cost lithium brine resource. We are committed to the highest environmental standards and to ensuring any potential development is guided by transparent, respectful, and ongoing engagement with local communities in Chile's Atacama region.'
National Post
17-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
LibertyStream Announces Successful Field Trial in North Dakota's Bakken Region
Article content Expansion into North Dakota's Bakken Basin Reinforces Company's Leadership in U.S. Critical Mineral Supply Article content CALGARY, Alberta — LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners Inc. (TSXV: LIB | OTCQB: VLTLF | FSE: I2D) (' LibertyStream ' or the ' Company ') is pleased to announce a successful field trial of its proprietary mobile Direct Lithium Extraction ('DLE') unit (the ' Field Unit ') in North Dakota's Bakken region (the ' Field Trial '). This initiative, in collaboration with Wellspring Hydro ('Wellspring'), is supported by a combined US$2.5 million in funding facilitated through the North Dakota Industrial Commission's Clean Sustainable Energy Authority and Renewable Energy Program. Article content 'Congratulations to LibertyStream and Wellspring on achieving a major milestone: successfully extracting lithium from produced water right here in North Dakota. This innovative approach transforms an oilfield by-product into a valuable resource for clean energy—using existing infrastructure, off-the-shelf equipment, and real-time field testing,' Article content commented Rich Garman, Director of Development and Finance at the North Dakota Department of Commerce. Article content 'We're proud to have supported this project through the Renewable Energy Council, the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, and the North Dakota Development Fund. This is a strong example of how North Dakota's pro-innovation and resource-smart mindset is helping lead the way in critical mineral production.' Article content North Dakota Field Trial Article content The purpose of the Field Trial was to compare the performance and efficacy of the Field Unit against previously validated pilot trials performed at LibertyStream's Research and Development Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The results from the Field Trial confirmed the performance of the Field Unit against the performance at the Research and Development Centre by achieving an average 96% lithium extraction rate from Bakken‑region oil‑field brine. The field trial was conducted at Compass Energy System's (' Compass ') Blue Marlin salt-water-disposal facility (' SWD ') in North Dakota. Article content ' Our team designed the Field Unit to drive system performance while maintaining both flexibility and portability,' said Dr. John McEwen, Inventor and Chief Technology Officer at LibertyStream. 'The North Dakota Field Trial sets the stage for future trials, further advancing our technology and readiness for commercial deployment.' Article content Key Highlights of the Field Trial include Article content The Field Trial used LibertyStream's proprietary DLE Technology and Process (the ' Technology ') providing further validation of the robustness of the Technology to process oil-field brine from multiple oil fields across America with consistent results; Lithium‑recovery results matched those from the Calgary R&D facility, with the Field Unit averaging a 96% lithium extraction rate on brine sourced from Compass Blue Marlin SWD; The average lithium content of the processed brine at the site was 75 mg/L; Average volume per DLE cycle was 300 gallons over the Field Trial period; and More than 1,300 DLE cycles have now been completed across six months of U.S. field operations, underscoring scalability. Article content Strategic Significance: North American Lithium Leadership Article content LibertyStream has conducted field operations in North America's two most prolific onshore oil-producing basins—the Permian in Texas and New Mexico, and the Bakken in North Dakota. Together, these basins represent over 60% of total U.S. onshore oil output, providing significant opportunities for lithium extraction from extensive lithium-rich produced water volumes. Article content The Permian Basin generates approximately 19 million barrels per day of produced water at lithium concentrations averaging around 30 ppm, translating to a conservative 170,000 tonnes per annum ('tpa') of potential LCE. Article content The Williston Basin Bakken production ranges from 1.6 million to 2 million barrels of produced water per day, suggesting potential production of ~50 000 tpa LCE. Article content CEO Commentary: Article content 'The North Dakota Field Trial provides further supporting evidence of the robustness of the Technology we have developed at LibertyStream. This milestone builds on six months of intensive operations in Texas, during which the company completed over 1,300 DLE runs, demonstrating robust and scalable technology readiness. These trials are instrumental to our strategy and showcase the continued progress toward transforming lithium extraction in a responsible, capital-light and high-efficiency manner as we transition to commercial operations in America.' Article content — Alex Wylie, President & CEO of LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners Qualified Person Scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Doug Ashton, and Meghan Klein, of Sproule Associates Limited, each of whom are qualified persons within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ('NI 43-101'). Mr. Ashton and Ms. Klein consent to the inclusion of the data in the form and context in which it appears. Article content About LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners Article content LibertyStream is a lithium development and technology company aiming to be one of North America's first commercial producers of lithium carbonates from oilfield brine. Our strategy is to generate value for shareholders by leveraging management's hydrocarbon experience to deploy our proprietary DLE technology directly into existing oil and gas infrastructure, thereby reducing capital costs, lowering risks and supporting the world's clean energy transition. With four differentiating pillars, and a proprietary Direct Lithium Extraction (' DLE ') technology and process, LibertyStream's innovative approach to development is focused on generating the highest lithium recoveries with lowest costs, positioning us for future commercialization. We are committed to operating efficiently and with transparency across all areas of the business staying sharply focused on creating long-term, sustainable shareholder value. Investors and/or other interested parties may sign up for updates about the Company's continued progress on its website: Article content Forward Looking Statements Article content This news release includes certain 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words 'anticipate', 'believe', 'estimate', 'expect', 'target', 'plan', 'forecast', 'may', 'will', 'would', 'could', 'schedule' and similar words or expressions, identify forward-looking statements or information. Statements, other than statements of historical fact, may constitute forward-looking information and include, without limitation, information with respect to the terms of the operational milestone, Volume Scale-up. Extraction Time Improvements and Continuous Processing vs Batch Processing, the deployment of the Field Unit in the Permian Basin, the production of battery grade lithium by the Field Unit, and the commercial production of lithium from oilfield brine. With respect to the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made numerous assumptions. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies and may prove to be incorrect. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein including those known risk factors outlined in the Company's annual information form for the year ended June 30, 2024 and (final) short form base shelf prospectus dated July 20, 2023. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content
National Post
10-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
E3 Lithium Announces Arrival of Equipment for the Demonstration Facility at the Clearwater Project Site
Article content CALGARY, Alberta — E3 LITHIUM LTD. (TSXV: ETL) (FSE: OW3) (OTCQX: EEMMF), 'E3', 'E3 Lithium' or the 'Company,' a leader in Canadian lithium, is pleased to announce the on-schedule arrival of equipment for the Demonstration Facility at the Clearwater Project site, including the 30-column Direct Lithium Extraction ('DLE') system and associated polishing and purification units. This equipment will be used for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the planned testing at the Demonstration Facility. Article content The equipment consists of five separate skids that will be tied together to operate fully automated. Over the next few weeks, all equipment will be assembled on-site and tested to ensure that no damage occurred during transport. The commissioning of the equipment will begin with leak testing and electrical inspections, and then raw brine will begin to be processed. Phase 1 of the demonstration program concludes with the completion of the commissioning using brine available on the surface and the production of lithium carbonate. Article content 'The arrival of the equipment officially kicks off our Demonstration Program and is a key milestone towards commercial lithium production,' said Chris Doornbos, President and CEO of E3 Lithium. 'With only a few systems of this kind operating, we appreciate each of our vendors and engineering firms for their ongoing support. The E3 Lithium team is excited to get the equipment operating and we look forward to providing additional updates on the Demonstration Facility as we progress towards commissioning Phase 1.' Article content Each phase of the Demonstration Facility is an important step towards validating the process technology and E3 Lithium's ability to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate at scale as we advance one of Canada's first lithium-from-brine developments. Article content For more details on the DLE system equipment and the planned phases of the Demonstration Facility, please see the June 2, 2025, Press Release. Article content Chris Doornbos, President & CEO E3 Lithium Ltd. Article content About E3 Lithium Article content E3 Lithium is a development company with a total of 21.2 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) Measured and Indicated 1 as well as 0.3 Mt LCE Inferred mineral resources 2 in Alberta and 2.5 Mt LCE Inferred mineral resources 3 in Saskatchewan. The Clearwater Pre-Feasibility Study outlined a 1.13 Mt LCE proven and probable mineral reserve with a pre-tax NPV8% of USD 5.2 Billion with a 29.2% IRR and an after-tax NPV8% of USD 3.7 Billion with a 24.6% IRR 1. Article content 1: The Clearwater Project NI 43-101 Pre-Feasibility Study, effective June 20, 2024, is available on the E3 Lithium's website ( and SEDAR+ ( 2: The mineral resource NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Garrington District Lithium Resource Estimate, effective June 25, 2025, identified 5.0 Mt LCE (measured and indicated) and 0.3 Mt LCE (inferred) and will be available on the E3 Lithium's website ( and SEDAR+ ( within 45 days of this news release. 3: The mineral resource NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Estevan Lithium District, effective May 23, 2024, identified 2.5 Mt LCE (inferred) and is available on the E3 Lithium's website ( and SEDAR+ ( Article content Unless otherwise indicated, Kevin Carroll, P. Eng., Chief Development Officer and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information contained on this news release. Article content Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements Article content This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as 'believe', 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'estimate', 'intend', 'project', 'potential', 'possible' and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions, expectations, estimates and assumptions of management in light of its experience, perception of historical trends, and results of the PFS, but such statements are not guarantees of future performance. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to: the expected timelines for the assembly, testing and commissioning of the demonstration equipment; production, pretreatment, purification, volume reduction and conversion process and features and the expected outcomes thereof; the Company's expectations regarding the production of lithium carbonate; plans and objectives of management for the Company's operations of the Demonstration Facility; and the inherent hazards associated with mineral exploration and mining operations. In preparing the forward-looking information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, that any additional financing needed will be available on reasonable terms; the exchange rates for the U.S. and Canadian currencies will be consistent with the Company's expectations; that the current exploration, development, environmental and other objectives concerning the Demonstration Facility can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner and that all necessary governmental approvals for the planned activities on the Demonstration Facility will be obtained in a timely manner and on acceptable terms. Article content All forward-looking information (including future-orientated financial information) is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the effectiveness and feasibility of emerging lithium extraction technologies which have not yet been tested or proven on a commercial scale or on the Company's brine, risks related to the availability of financing on commercially reasonable terms and the expected use of proceeds; operations and contractual obligations; changes in estimated mineral reserves or mineral resources; future prices of lithium and other metals; availability of third party contractors; availability of equipment; failure of equipment to operate as anticipated; accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry; the Company's lack of operating revenues; currency fluctuations; risks related to dependence on key personnel; estimates used in financial statements proving to be incorrect; competitive risks and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ ( Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content Rob Knowles Article content Article content investor@ Article content Article content 587-324-2775 Article content Article content Kati Dolyniuk Article content Article content Article content Article content
Korea Herald
30-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Posco pursues ‘direct lithium production' in North America for 1st time
Posco Holdings announced on Monday plans to test the viability of directly producing lithium — a key material for electric vehicle batteries — highlighting the significance of establishing a supply chain in North America amid the ongoing pressure of decoupling from China. In partnership with Anson Resources, Australia's natural resource developer, Posco will start the construction of a demonstration plant next year in Green River City, Utah. The facility will evaluate whether Posco's Direct Lithium Extraction technology is feasible for large-scale commercial production. Unlike traditional lithium extraction methods that depend on the natural evaporation of brine in large ponds, DLE is a cost-effective, innovative process designed to selectively extract lithium from low-concentration brine lakes. The project marks the first time a South Korean company has taken steps toward directly producing lithium in North America. In contrast, Posco's domestic rivals, including LG Chem, have primarily secured supply agreements with US-based lithium producers rather than pursuing local production. Earlier Monday, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding under which Anson Resources will provide the raw materials for lithium and the construction site, where it holds mining rights for lithium brine. While the additional details of the project, including its timeline and investment volume, remain undisclosed, Posco stated: 'By successfully operating the demonstration plant in the US, we aim to commercialize the DLE technology we have developed since 2016. The company intends to leverage this technology for investment and commercialization of undeveloped lithium brine lakes across North America.' According to World Population Review, the US ranked third in the world for lithium deposits in 2023, behind Bolivia and Argentina. This initiative is in line with the company's focus to secure additional lithium resources outside China, which dominates the global lithium hydroxide market, under Posco Holdings CEO Chang In-hwa's '2 Core + New Engine' strategy, referring to focusing on its core steel and battery materials businesses, while also developing new growth engines. Meanwhile, Posco Holdings has secured an annual production capacity of 68,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide, enough to manufacture batteries for approximately 1.6 million EVs. This includes 25,000 tons from its brine lithium plant in Argentina and 43,000 tons from its ore lithium plant in the Yulchon Industrial Complex in South Jeolla Province.
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Arverne Group: First Geothermal Drilling for Lithium de France
PAU, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: Arverne Group (ISIN code : FR001400JWR8, mnemonic code ARVEN), announces the start of geothermal drilling operations in Schwabwiller, carried out by its subsidiary Lithium de France, in order to produce both renewable heat and lithium. This launch is a major milestone in the Group's development, made possible after obtaining the environmental authorization and a building permit. The initial work on site involves civil engineering operations. Geothermal well drilling will begin after the summer. It will be pursued, once the necessary authorizations have been obtained, by the construction of the heat powerplant, and the installation of the demonstration plant to assess both lithium resources and the performance of the innovative Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology. Information and updates on the operations will be shared throughout the project with the various local stakeholders. Pierre Brossollet, Founder and CEO of Arverne Group : 'These initial works bring our ambition to life: making geothermal energy a tangible solution to the major challenges of decarbonization. They also represent a big step toward more energy sovereignty for our country.' Next event: June 18, 2025, Combined General Meeting About Arverne Group Arverne Group specializes in harnessing underground resources to transform them into environmentally friendly, local and renewable energy, contributing to the prosperity of local communities. As an integrated industrial player, Arverne Group spans the entire underground value chain, from exploration to drilling and production to sales to end-users. Arverne Group aims to become the French leader in geothermal energy and its by-products, including low-carbon geothermal lithium. Founded in Pau in 2018, Arverne Group has structured its business activities around several subsidiaries, notably Lithium de France (geothermal heat and extraction and sale of geothermal lithium), 2gré (sale of geothermal heat), Arverne Drilling Services (drilling operations). A mission-driven company, Arverne Group is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN FR001400JWR8, symbol ARVEN).
