Efficient and eco-friendly: NEXT-ChemX unlocking lithium extraction potential.
The lithium extraction revolution has finally arrived. We are on the verge of a new wave of lithium availability due to breakthroughs in efficient, environmentally friendly extraction methods.
Lithium is essential in the rechargeable batteries we all use constantly – in our mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles – as well as in non-rechargeable batteries found in items like heart pacemakers, toys, and clocks. In fact, it is so crucial that lithium demand is outpacing supply.
Nonetheless, traditional extraction methods like evaporation pools can be time-consuming and environmentally detrimental, leading to government restrictions. Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) provides a highly promising solution.
DLE enables lithium extraction from natural brines, geothermal wells, and abandoned oil & gas wells. Recognizing DLE’s massive potential and effectiveness, Chile, a global leader in lithium deposits, has made DLE mandatory for all new extraction operations.
This powerful method eliminates large evaporation pools, utilizing advanced membranes in controlled environments. DLE can even reduce environmental footprint and yield valuable by-products like magnesium, potassium, and calcium. With yields of up to 95% from liquid brine, DLE greatly surpasses 40-50% yields common with current methods. It can make previously uneconomical sites viable, minimize output shrinkage through tracking technology, and improve site selection.
Multiple DLE technologies are pilot-tested, involving adsorption media or ion exchange beads. However, initial results have shown lower yields and higher costs than anticipated, leading to negative market sentiment.
NEXT-ChemX Corporation (CHMX), a Nevada-based company, is field-testing a groundbreaking membrane-based ion extraction process called ion-Targeting Direct Extraction (iTDE). Unlike other DLE methods, iTDE does not require adsorption media, ion exchange beads or large volumes of fresh water.
CHMX’s cutting-edge method is designed to enable cost-effective extraction of ions through a continuous flow of liquid from natural brines, geothermal wells, and even abandoned oil & gas wells. Laboratory pilot systems have successfully demonstrated the economic extraction of ions, even from solutions with very low lithium concentrations. This technology shows immense potential in advancing DLE efforts.
NEXT-ChemX Corporation has partnered with Clontarf Energy plc in Bolivia to field-test its iTDE process. The results of these tests are expected to be announced in Q3 2023. By enabling the creation of new lithium supplies, the cost-effective and environmentally conscious iTDE process will help meet growing lithium demand (projected to rise exponentially over the next two decades).
Efficient and Eco-Friendly: NEXT-ChemX Unlocking Lithium Extraction Potential, NEW YORK, July 10, 2023