Meet the minds behind #alkaLi. 🔦

Mark Harrington, Proposal & Process Manager, joins us for a rapid-fire Q&A on engineering breakthrough technologies for critical minerals—powered by Gradiant’s global scale and innovation engine.

#PowerUp #RapidFire #Lithium #DirectLithiumExtraction

Detailed design engineering is underway for the construction of Northern Lithium's first production boreholes - tinyurl.com/4ruh4ep6

#Aspermont #NorthernLithium #Boreholes #DirectLithiumExtraction #Construction #NorthernPennineOrefield #Evove #RSE

Lilac Announces Successful Operations of Lithium Demonstration Plant… OAKLAND, Calif., May 14, 2025 — Lilac, a leading provider of direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, today announced the successful operations of its…

Lithium Recovery: 91%
Overall Impurity Rejection: 99.4%
Plant Throughput*: 42 tonnes LCE/​year
IX Vessel Size: ~1/3 of commercial scale
lilacsolutions.com/news/lilac-a...

#lithium #argentinia #directlithiumextraction

Planning permission granted for the UK’s first commercial lithium production facility in Cornwall - tinyurl.com/2zvu6jw5

#Aspermont #CornishLithium #Lithium #Cornwall #Geothermal #Renewables #PlanningPermission #DirectLithiumExtraction #Brine #WellDrilling

The article from *Post Factum* delves into the geopolitics of lithium, a critical mineral essential for energy storage, particularly in lithium-ion batteries. Here’s a summary of the key points: ### **Lithium Production and Supply** - **Extraction Methods**: Lithium is extracted from underground brines (60%) and hard rock ores (40%). Brine extraction is cheaper, while hard rock mining is more common in Australia and China. - **Major Producers**: Australia, Chile, and China dominate global lithium extraction, accounting for 90% of production. The "Lithium Triangle" (Bolivia, Chile, Argentina) holds 50% of global reserves, though Bolivia’s reserves remain underdeveloped due to political and infrastructural challenges. - **Processing**: Over 60% of lithium processing occurs in China, with Chile and Argentina also playing significant roles. ### **Demand Drivers** - **Battery Technology**: Lithium-ion batteries, first commercialized in the 1990s, are crucial for portable electronics, renewable energy storage, and electric vehicles (EVs). The EV industry is the largest driver of lithium demand. - **Environmental Impact**: Lithium extraction and processing are criticized for their environmental toll, including water contamination, scarcity, and high greenhouse gas emissions. ### **Price Volatility** - **Price Surge**: Lithium prices skyrocketed from $20,000/tonne in 2021 to over $70,000/tonne in 2022 due to supply chain disruptions during COVID-19 and increased demand. - **Price Drop**: In 2023, prices fell by 80% due to oversupply and slower EV demand growth, stabilizing around $15,000/tonne in 2024.

### **Geopolitical Competition** - **China’s Dominance**: China controls 79% of global lithium-ion battery production and has heavily invested in global lithium assets, securing partnerships in Africa and South America. - **Self-Sufficiency Efforts**: The US and Europe are investing in domestic lithium extraction, processing, and recycling to reduce reliance on China. The US military has flagged lithium dependence as a national security risk. - **Recycling**: Europe leads in lithium-ion battery recycling, aiming for 65% efficiency by 2026. Recycling could reduce the need for new lithium mining. ### **Future Trends** - **Innovations**: Direct lithium extraction (DLE) and alternative battery technologies, such as sodium-ion batteries, are being explored to reduce reliance on lithium. - **Market Outlook**: Despite recent price drops, demand for lithium is expected to grow, with current and planned projects meeting only 50-60% of projected demand by 2035. Africa, particularly Zimbabwe, is expected to increase its share of global lithium mining. ### **Conclusion** Lithium remains a critical resource for the global energy transition, but its supply chain is highly concentrated and geopolitically sensitive. Countries are racing to secure their lithium supplies, while innovations in extraction and battery technology could reshape the market in the coming decades.

#Lithium #EnergyStorage #ElectricVehicles #Geopolitics #RenewableEnergy #BatteryTechnology #LithiumIon #CriticalMinerals #Sustainability #ClimateChange #SupplyChain #China #LithiumTriangle #Recycling #DirectLithiumExtraction #SodiumIonBatteries #GreenTech #EVs #ResourceSecurity #EnergyTransition

#Lithium
#EnergyStorage
#ElectricVehicles
#Geopolitics
#RenewableEnergy
#BatteryTechnology
#LithiumIon
#CriticalMinerals
#Sustainability
#ClimateChange
#SupplyChain
#China
#LithiumTriangle
#Recycling
#DirectLithiumExtraction
#SodiumIonBatteries
#GreenTech
#EVs

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (Jan 13-19, 2025)! 🌱

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
• 𝟯𝟰 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 across 𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗦, 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹, 𝗗𝗟𝗘, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘂𝗺, and 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻.

www.linkedin.com/posts/graham...

#CCUS #Geothermal #Helium #NaturalHydrogen #DirectLithiumExtraction

#Lithium supply chain
#Argentina 🇦🇷 #LilacSolutions #IonExchange technology
#DLE #DirectLithiumExtraction
#LakeResources #Kachi #Catamarca

“Today’s announcement marks a new era in scalable lithium production,”
said #DaveSnydacker, CEO of Lilac Solutions.

lilacsolutions.com/2023/04/lila...