Direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology provider Lilac Solutions has released its fifth-generation ion exchange (IX) technology, which delivers improvements in performance and cost.
Gen 5 Lilac IX increases IX productivity and durability, enhances eluate quality and simplifies brine pretreatment, according to the company.
The IX system allows the passage of 70x larger particles, enabling the use of low-cost multi-media filtration and avoiding expensive ultrafiltration. The lithium production rate per volume of IX media is 20x higher than alumina adsorbent (AA) reducing the required number of reactors and first fill media volume. IX delivers up to 10,000 cycles before replacement, which is also higher than competing technologies, Lilac said.
The eluate has 7x higher lithium concentration and higher purity with a 100x lower boron:lithium ratio than AA, simplifying downstream concentration and purification.
Gen 5 uses the same equipment package as Lilac’s Gen 4 pilot and demonstration plants with a scalable, modular design, off-the-shelf components and 10x lower water consumption than AA.
Gen 5 expands the range of viable brine resources. It has been validated in recent field pilots with challenging brines, including the ultra-low-grade Great Salt Lake brine in Utah (70 mg/L Li) and oilfield brines in Europe.
The technology builds on field experience from seven completed pilot and demonstration plants in Argentina, Chile, the US and Europe, validating high lithium recoveries, strong impurity rejection and reliable operations across a range of brine grades and types, including salar, oilfield and surface lake brines.
Lilac is in the process of completing construction of a commercial-scale IX media manufacturing line in Nevada.
“Lilac’s Gen 5 technology represents a real opportunity for brine developers,” said Dave Snydacker, founder and Chief Technology Officer of Lilac Solutions. “Many brine projects have been trying for years to implement conventional adsorbents but struggling with low performance and high costs. This is an exciting moment to take a look at our data and rethink ion exchange.”
Source: Lilac Solutions
