The plant is situated exterior Salt Lake Metropolis on property belonging to US Magnesium. IBAT is extracting lithium from a byproduct magnesium chloride-lithium chloride brine from US Magnesium’s operation. The DLE plant presently occupies one-acre, however plans name for growth by putting in further columns on the identical modular platform.
“This kicks off a US lithium manufacturing renaissance and creates the potential for a sea change in world lithium provides,” John Burba, founder and chief know-how officer of IBAT stated in an announcement.
Worldwide Battery stated its patented DLE know-how has a number of benefits over typical restoration means, in that the modular plant took solely 18 months to construct, in comparison with so long as seven years for typical DLE vegetation. The design is scalable and can settle for various brine sources, it stated.
IBAT stated its know-how recovers over 97% of the lithium within the brine and reduces water utilization by recycling 98% of the water used within the course of and that the plant is anticipated to be among the many lowest capital and working prices within the trade.
IBAT’s DLE course of can also be able to extracting lithium from subsurface brine sources and returning the lithium-depleted brine underground.
By market shut in Toronto, IBAT’s inventory was up over 26% with a C$338.6 million ($248.3m) market capitalization.