Conventional lithium production from brine is typically time consuming, inefficient, and environmentally impactful. The process involves pumping brine from subsurface aquifers into massive evaporation ponds and allowing the water to naturally evaporate, which takes around 18 months. A significant amount of chemicals is used to concentrate and extract the lithium, but only about 30%–50% of the original lithium content in the brine is recovered. This process results in substantial water loss and leaves chemicals on the surface, leading to significant environmental degradation that impacts both native biodiversity and indigenous communities.
SLB developed a new integrated sustainable lithium approach that uses advanced technology to process brine and extract high-purity lithium, maximizing lithium resource recovery. SLB partnered with Pure Energy Minerals Ltd to validate this sustainable lithium production approach by developing a one-tenth commercial-scale demonstration plant in the 9,450-hectare [23,351-acre] area of Clayton Valley, Nevada.
SLB provided a holistic, sustainable lithium production process that optimizes all systems and technologies, including DLE, to produce the most sustainable battery-grade lithium within hours. The successful integration of technology solutions at the facility resulted in lithium production 500 times faster than conventional methods while using only 10% of the land.
Operating at approximately one-tenth the size of a commercial-scale facility, the plant reached a verified recovery rate of up to 96% lithium from brine.
The entire process yielded the battery-input material needed to power global electrification. The smaller footprint required by these sustainable lithium production processes reduced anthropogenic changes at the surface. This sustainable approach plays a significant role in minimizing impacts on the local hydrogeology, reducing water stress, and sustaining biodiversity in Clayton Valley’s unique ecosystems.
The demonstration plant has proven the integrated technology at scale. This innovative solution—coupled with leading SLB subsurface expertise and advanced digital workflows for lithium resource management—has the potential to disrupt the lithium economy by opening new opportunities for sustainable lithium extraction to existing production regions and enabling new lithium resource development across the globe to meet the growing demand.
