The team of oil and gas industry experts at Volt Lithium (TSXV: VLT) has introduced a new lithium extraction technology achieving 90% recovery rates from brines with lithium concentrations as low as 34 mg per litre.
The Volt team, led by CEO Alex Wylie, has successfully harnessed its expertise in fluid movement to tackle lithium extraction from brine reservoirs, he tells The Northern Miner in an interview.
“Our pilot plant has given us the data required to prove we can produce lithium consistently from low-grade brines. It potentially opens significant commercial potential with existing oil and gas majors, particularly in North America’s Permian and Montney basins,” Wylie says.
The innovative extraction idea developed from a partnership between two industry experts who had previously worked together for over 15 years. Wylie had a background in the oil and gas sector, while the other came from a family-owned chemicals business in Calgary. Intrigued by the potential of lithium, they embarked on a quest to determine its extractability.
While conventional wisdom dictated that lithium extraction was only feasible from high-concentration brines, the team discovered a company called Standard that achieved successful extraction from concentrations as low as 300 mg per litre. This revelation further led them to explore the possibilities, particularly in regions like Chile and Argentina, where brines boasted exceptionally high lithium concentrations.
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