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![CleanTech Lithium (OTCQB:CTLHF)](https://investingnews.com/media-library/cleantech-lithium-otcqb-ctlhf.png?id=33065978&width=1200&height=796)
CleanTech Lithium: Prolific Lithium Assets with a sustainable approach to Meet EV Battery Demand
CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL,FWB:T2N,OTC:CTLHF)) envisions being the greenest lithium supplier to the electric vehicle (EV) market by using direct lithium extraction (DLE) - a low-impact, low-carbon and low-water method of extracting lithium from brine – powered by renewable energy sources. The company has three large lithium assets with an estimated two million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in Chile’s Lithium Triangle, a world-renowned mining-friendly jurisdiction.
The company’s assets are all located in Chile and amenable to eco-friendly development. Laguna Verde, CleanTech’s flagship asset, is poised for near-term green lithium production by the end of 2025 with a resource estimate of 1.5 million tonnes of LCE. The company’s second flagship asset is Francisco Basin, approximately 100 km south of Laguna Verde. JORC-compliant inferred resource estimated 0.5 million tonnes of LCE. Both projects are 4,200+ meters above sea level, meaning there is minimal risk to biodiversity and impact on local communities. The company's third asset is the Llamara Project, a green-fields project located in the Antofagasta region and is around 600 km north of Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin. The area totalling 344 square kilometers located in the Pampa del Tamarugal basin, which is one of the largest basins in the lithium triangle.
CleanTech Lithium is committed to an ESG-led approach and supporting its downstream partners by producing the greenest lithium to the market. As a result, the company will use renewable energy and the eco-friendly direct lithium extraction (DLE) process throughout its projects. DLE is widely considered the best option for lithium brine extraction that makes the least environmental impact. No evaporation ponds, no carbon intensive processes and reduced levels of water consumption. In recognition, Chile’s government plans to prioritize DLE for all new lithium projects.
Company Highlights
- CleanTech Lithium is an exploration and development company with three notable lithium projects in Chile, totaling >500km2 licensed areas and lithium resources exceeding 2 million tonnes LCE
- The company aims to become the greenest lithium supplier to the EV market by adopting environmental and social sound practices throughout its assets and culture.
- Chile is quickly becoming a global leader in clean energy, which enables the company to take advantage of the existing renewable power throughout its operations
- The company will use DLE, a proven* method for extracting lithium brine that minimizes environmental impact and reduces production time, resulting in high quality battery grade lithium
- CleanTech Lithium’s flagship projects Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin are located nearby reliable renewable power sources and transport infrastructure that can support the scalability of each project.
- The company’s third highly prospective asset, Llamara, is undergoing exploration and represents blue-sky opportunities for additional lithium discoveries.
- This is being led by an experienced management team with the right blend of expertise leads the company towards its goals of supplying the growing EV market with eco-friendly lithium,
- Underpinned by an established ESG-led approach - a critical priority for governments introducing regulations that require a cleaner supply chain to reach net-zero targets.
- DLE plants operating successfully in Argentina and China
This CleanTech Lithium profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
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CleanTech Lithium
Overview
CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL,FWB:T2N,OTC:CTLHF) is a resource exploration and development company with four lithium assets with an estimated 2.72 million tons (Mt) of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in Chile, a world-renowned mining-friendly jurisdiction. The company aims to be a leading supplier of ‘green lithium’ to the electric vehicle (EV) market, leveraging direct lithium extraction (DLE) – a low-impact, low-carbon and low-water method of extracting lithium from brine.
Lithium demand is soaring as a result of a rapidly expanding EV market. One study estimates the world needs 2 billion EVs on the road to meet global net-zero goals. Yet, the gap between supply and demand continues to widen. As the world races to secure new supplies of the critical mineral, Chile has emerged as an ideal investment jurisdiction with mining-friendly regulations and a skilled local workforce to drive towards a clean green economy. Chile is already the biggest supplier of copper and second largest supplier of lithium.
With an experienced team in natural resources, CleanTech Lithium holds itself accountable to a responsible ESG-led approach, a critical advantage for governments and major car manufacturers looking to secure a cleaner supply chain.
Laguna Verde is at Pre-Feasibility Study stage, which is due to be delivered by Q4 2024. The project is targeted to be in ramp up production from 2027. Laguna Verde has a JORC resource estimate of 1.8 Mt of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) while Viento Andino boasts 0.92 Mt LCE, each supporting 20,000 tons per annum (tpa) production with a 30-year and 12-year mine life, respectively. The latest drilling programme at Laguna Verde finished in June 2024, results from which will be used to convert resources into reserves.
The lead project, Laguna Verde, will be developed first, after which Veinto Andino will follow suit using the design and experience gained from Laguna Verde, as the company works towards its goal of becoming a significant green lithium producer serving the EV market.
CleanTech Lithium’s pilot DLE plant in Copiapó was commissioned in the first quarter of 2024. The plant will process brine from both Laguna Verde and Viento Andino to produce lithium chloride eluate, which will then be converted into battery-grade lithium downstream through a third-party partner.
The Company is carrying out the necessary Environmental Impact Assessments in partnership with the local communities. The indigenous communities will provide valuable data that will be in included in the assessments. The company also has two prospective exploration projects.
Llamara project is a greenfield asset and in the Antofagasta region and is around 600 kilometers north of Laguna Verde and Veinto Andino. The project is located in the Pampa del Tamarugal basin, one of the largest basins in the Lithium Triangle.
Salar de Atacama/Arenas Blancas comprises 140 licenses covering 377 sq km in the Salar de Atacama basin, one of the leading lithium-producing regions in the world with proven mineable deposits of 9.2 Mt.
CleanTech Lithium is committed to an ESG-led approach to its strategy and supporting its downstream partners looking to secure a cleaner supply chain. In line with this, the company plans to use renewable energy and the eco-friendly DLE process across its projects. DLE is considered an efficient option for lithium brine extraction that makes the least environmental impact, with no use of evaporation ponds, no carbon-intensive processes and reduced levels of water consumption. In recognition, Chile’s government plans to prioritize DLE for all new lithium projects in the country.
CTL has a DLE Pilot Plant which is located in Copiapó with the capacity to produce up to 1 tonne per month of lithium carbonate. The company recently sent 24m3 batches of concentrated eluate to North America for further downstream processing. This will produce battery-grade lithium in the coming weeks and months. The company will share with potential customers across car and battery manufacturers.
CTL’s experienced management team, with expertise throughout the natural resources industry, leads the company towards its goal of producing green lithium for the EV market. Expertise includes geology, lithium extraction engineering and corporate administration.
Company Highlights
- CleanTech Lithium is a lithium exploration and development company with four notable lithium projects in Chile and a combined total resource of 2.72 million tonnes JORC estimate of lithium carbonate equivalent.
- The company leverages direct lithium extraction (DLE), an efficient method for extracting lithium brine that minimizes environmental impact and reduces production time and costs, resulting in high-quality, battery-grade lithium
- The company’s DLE pilot plant in Copiapó, Chile has commenced operation and started producing highly concentrated to be converted into battery-grade lithium for car and battery manufacturers to test and verify. The pilot plant can produce up to 1 tonne per month of lithium carbonate.
- CleanTech Lithium’s flagship projects, Laguna Verde and Viento Andino, are located near existing power sources and established transport infrastructure that can support the scalability of each project.
- The company also has two greenfield exploration projects in the region: Llamara and Salar de Atacama.
- The board consists of the former CEO of Collahuasi, the largest copper mine in the world, having held senior roles at Rio Tinto and BHP. In-country experience developing major commercial projects runs through-out the team.
- CTL’s operations are underpinned by an established ESG-focused approach - a critical priority for governments introducing regulations that require a cleaner supply chain to reach net-zero targets.
- The Company aims to become a leading supplier of ‘green’ lithium to the EV market through environmentally and socially sound practices across its assets and corporate culture.
Key Projects
Laguna Verde Lithium Project
217 sq km and features a sq km hypersaline lake at the low point of the basin with a large sub-surface aquifer ideal for DLE. Laguna Verde is the company’s most advanced asset,
Project Highlights:
- Prolific JORC-compliant Resource Estimate: As of July 2023, the asset has a JORC-compliant resource estimate of 1.8 Mt of LCE at a grade of 200 mg/L lithium.
- Environmentally Friendly Extraction: The company’s asset is amenable to DLE. Instead of sending lithium brine to evaporation ponds, DLE uses a unique process where resin extracts lithium from brine, and then re-injects the brine back into the aquifer, with minimal depletion of the resources. The DLE process reduces the impact on environment, water consumption levels and production time compared with evaporation ponds and hard-rock mining methods.
- DLE Pilot Plant: The pilot DLE plant in Copiapo was commissioned in the first quarter of 2024, and will process brine from both Laguna Verde and Viento Andino to produce lithium chloride eluate, which will then be converted into battery-grade lithium downstream through a third-party partner.
- Scoping Study: Scoping study completed in January 2023 indicated a production of 20,000 tons per annum LCE and an operational life of 30 years. Highlights of the study also includes:
- Total revenues of US$6.3 billion
- IRR of 45.1 percent and post-tax NPV8 of US$1.8 billion
- Net cash flow of US$215 million
Viento Andino Lithium Project
CleanTech Lithium’s second-most advanced asset covers 127 square kilometers and is located within 100 km of Laguna Verde, with a current resource estimate of 0.92 Mt of LCE, including an indicated resource of 0.44 Mt LCE. The company’s planned second drill campaign aims to extend known deposits further.
Project Highlights:
- 2022 Lithium Discovery: Recently completed brine samples from the initial drill campaign indicate an average lithium grade of 305 mg/L.
- JORC-compliant Estimate: The inferred resource estimate was recently upgraded from 0.5 Mt to 0.92 Mt of LCE at an average grade of 207 mg/L lithium, which now includes 0.44 million tonnes at an average grade of 221 mg/L lithium in the indicated category.
- Scoping Study: A scoping study was completed in September 2023 indicating a production of up to 20,000 tons per annum LCE for an operational life of more than 12 years. Other highlights include:
- Net revenues of US$2.5 billion
- IRR of 43.5 percent and post-tax NPV 8 of US$1.1 billion
- Additional Drilling: Once drilling at Laguna Verde is completed in 2024, CleanTech Lithium plans to commence further drilling at Viento Andino for a potential resource upgrade.
Llamara Lithium Project
The Llamara project is one of the largest greenfield basins in the Lithium Triangle, covering 605 square kilometers in the Pampa del Tamarugal, one of the largest basins in the Lithium Triangle. Historical exploration results indicate blue-sky potential, prompting the company to pursue additional exploration.
Project Highlights:
- Promising Historical Exploration: The asset has never been drilled; however, salt crust surface samples indicate up to 3,100 parts per million lithium. Additionally, historical geophysics lines indicate a large hypersaline aquifer. Both of these exploration results indicate potential for significant future discoveries.
- Close Proximity to Existing Operations: The Llamara project is near other known deposits:
- Atacama (SQM / Abarmale): 18,100 square kilometers
- Hombre (Muerto Livent): 4,000 square kilometers
- Pampa del Tamarugal (CleanTech): 17,150 square kilometers
Arenas Blancas
The project comprises 140 licences covering 377 sq km in the Salar de Atacama basin, a known lithium region with proven mineable deposits of 9.2 Mt and home to two of the world’s leading battery-grade lithium producers SQM and Albermarle. Following the granting of the exploration licences in 2024, the Cleantech Lithium is designing a work programme for the project
The Board
Steve Kesler - Executive Chairman and Interim CEO
Steve Kesler has 45 years of executive and board roles experience in the mining sector across all major capital markets including AIM. Direct lithium experience as CEO/director of European Lithium and Chile experience with Escondida and as the first CEO of Collahuasi, previously held senior roles at Rio Tinto and BHP.
Gordon Stein - Chief Financial Officer
Gordon Stein is a commercial CFO with over 30 years of expertise in the energy, natural resources and other sectors in both executive and non-executive director roles. As a chartered accountant, he has worked with start-ups to major companies, including board roles of six LSE companies.
Maha Daoudi - Independent Non-executive Director
Maha Daoudi has more than 20 years of experience holding several Board and senior-level positions across commodities, energy transition, finance and tech-related industries, including a senior role with leading commodity trader, Trafigura. Daoudi holds expertise in offtake agreements, developing international alliances and forming strategic partnerships.
Tommy McKeith - Independent Non-executive Director
Tommy McKeith is an experienced public company director and geologist with over 30 years of mining company leadership, corporate development, project development and exploration experience. He's held roles in an international mining company and across several ASX-listed mining companies. McKeith currently serves as non-executive director of Evolution Mining and as non-executive chairman of Arrow Minerals. Having worked in bulk, base and precious metals across numerous jurisdictions, including operations in Canada, Africa, South America and Australia, McKeith brings strategic insights to CTL with a strong focus on value creation.
Jonathan Morley-Kirk - Senior Independent Non-executive Director
Jonathan Morley-Kirk brings 30 years of experience, including 17 years in non-executive director roles with expertise in financial controls, audit, remuneration, capital raisings and taxation/structuring.
Additional Land Acquired at Nunavut Cu-Ag-Au Project
Landholding includes numerous highly prospective copper, silver and gold targets
White Cliff Minerals Limited (“WCN” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce newly expanded licences covering adjacent high grade Nunavut copper, silver and gold (“Cu-Ag-Au” or the Project”) targets. These new areas have only recently been opened to application. These new targets enhance the overall strategic landholding the Company owns and now completes the original staking strategy.
Highlights
- Secured up to an additional 63 square km’s of highly prospective licenses covering newly available ground at the Nunavut Cu-Ag-Au project area
- These new granted licences cover several significant areas of anomalous Cu-Ag-Au:
- The Halo project, a highly prospective outcropping occurrence of Cu-Ag-Au. Previous drilling at Halo includes up to 4.7m @ 10.47% Cu, with mineralisation that remains open in all directions. This new area connects to the southern extension of the HALO system and compliments existing WCN tenure
- The Pat prospect1 includes numerous >40% Cu (above detection limit) rock chip samples across multiple veins
- Given the new ground is adjacent to existing granted licences these new areas will fit seamlessly into the Company’s upcoming exploration activities due to commence in Nunavut during the coming weeks
- WCN also has in application, and subject to regulatory approval, tenure that covers several other new targets, that it is hopeful of receiving these in due course:
- Lloyd: a quartz-chalcocite vein that was returned assay results of up to 2% Cu over ~3,600ft with a cross section of between 8 and 20 feet wide2,
- Larry: 1952 channel samples returned up to 8.03% Cu over 13.6ft 3, and
- Jack: Rock chip samples up to 45.4% Cu and 60g/t Ag from surface4.
“The Company is very pleased to have finally secured these additional 2 priority areas and concludes our strategy of acquiring the landholdings we wanted. These new licences are testament to the teams’ hard work and commitment to deliver for all shareholders. After stalking the process for several months and having assessed these areas in-depth previously, we were in pole position when this ground was released for application and I am pleased to say we were successful in securing the last missing pieces of our puzzle and hence our strategy of securing the most desired ground in the area is complete. There is now an obvious land rush in the broader Coppermine area and our first mover advantage has given us a huge head start in acquiring the premium ground and we are now pretty much surrounded by new entrants to the area small.
The fact that this land is cohesive to our existing project, has delivered similar high-grade rock chip results which shows a mineralised system opened in all directions, is a massive achievement. We are only a matter of weeks away from “boots on the ground” at Nunavut for the start of the inaugural field campaign and heli-mounted MobileMT survey, the latest technology for the collection of magnetic and conductivity data targeting both high-grade volcanic hosted copper-silver mineralisation and high-tonnage potential sedimentary hosted copper prospects.”
Troy Whittaker - Managing Director
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from White Cliff Minerals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Broad High Grade Lithium Intersections Extend BP33
Advanced Australian lithium developer, Core Lithium Ltd (Core or Company) (ASX: CXO), is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities and results from the Finniss Lithium Project (Finniss Project) near Darwin in the Northern Territory.
Highlights
- Broad and high-grade lithium intersections continue to be delivered at the Finniss Lithium Project near Darwin in the NT
- Two recent deep diamond drill holes at BP33 have produced high grade spodumene-rich intersections including:
- 57.35m @ 1.83% Li2O in NMRD016
- 51.0m @ 1.63% Li2O in FRCD023
- Significant southern extension to spodumene bearing pegmatiteatBP33identifiedinadditionalreversecirculation anddiamond drilling
- Intersections outside of the current Mineral Resource at BP33 expected to deliver substantial extensions
- Further drilling planned at BP33 for the coming field season
- Expanded exploration and resource drilling to recommence and ramp-up in early Q2 2022 across the Finniss Project
This article includes content from Core Lithium, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Latest Drilling At Salinas Lithium Project Confirms Continuity And Thickening Of Pegmatites Along Strike And Down Dip
Latin Resources Limited (ASX: LRS) (“Latin” or “the Company”) is extremely pleased to confirm that the ongoing diamond drilling campaign at the Company’s Salinas Lithium Project in Brazil (“Salinas” or the “Project”), is continuing to intersect thick, shallow dipping spodumene rich pegmatites, with SADD003 returning a best intercept of 16.17m true thickness. (Figure1).
HIGHLIGHTS
- Three diamond holes completed, with all three intersecting multiple spodumene bearing pegmatites, confirming strike and dip continuity.
- All pegmatites are open along strike and downdip.
- Drilling 180m along strike to the south has intersected 16.17m (true thickness) spodumene bearing pegmatites.
- Drillinghasconfirmedthe“pinch and swell”natureofthepegmatitesatSalinas, highlighting the significant nature of this greenfields discovery.
- Drilling of the 14-hole program is ongoing, with SADD004 currently underway testing the down dip extensions of pegmatites intersected in SADD003.
As previously reported, the Company’s initial drillhole SADD001, intersected three separate spodumene bearing pegmatites down dip from high-grade lithium outcrop samples1. Drilling of the next two holes is now complete, with SADD002 targeting approximately 100m down dip from SADD001, and SADD003 some 180m to the south along strike (Appendix 1) (Figure 2). All three holes have intersected the same three layers of pegmatites
Figure 1: SADD003 – spodumene bearing pegmatite 65.6-81.77m, (16.17m true thickness) intersected in diamond drilling approximately 180m along strike to the south of previously reported intersections1
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from latin Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Saga Metals and Rio Tinto Form Joint Venture for Legacy Lithium Project in Québec
Privately owned explorer Saga Metals has announced the execution of an option to joint venture agreement with Rio Tinto Exploration Canada (RTEC) for its Legacy lithium project in Québec, Canada.
Announced on Wednesday (July 3), the deal outlines the terms under which RTEC can acquire up to a 75 percent interest in the asset through staged investments and exploration expenditures.
The Legacy lithium project, located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Québec, is comprised of 663 claims covering 34,243 hectares and features 100 kilometers of striking paragneiss.
Under the agreement, RTEC, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO), has the opportunity to earn an initial 51 percent stake in the project over four years by meeting financial and exploration commitments.
To earn the initial 51 percent interest, RTEC will have to make cash payments totaling C$410,190 to Saga by August 11 of this year. Additionally, RTEC is committed to spending C$9,571,100 on exploration activities, including a firm commitment of at least C$1,709,125 within the first 20 months of the agreement.
Upon earning its first 51 percent interest, RTEC has the option to increase its stake to 75 percent over an additional five year period. This second option requires RTEC to invest an additional C$34,182,500 in exploration.
During both the first and second option periods, RTEC will serve as the project operator for Legacy, overseeing the exploration and development activities. A technical committee made up of members from both Saga and RTEC will be established to review and prepare the exploration programs for the site.
“This marks a significant milestone in the Company’s development and creates a non-dilutive pathway for the necessary capital to properly explore our Legacy Lithium Project over the coming years,” said Mike Stier, Saga's CEO and director.
In a related development, on Tuesday (July 2), Saga entered into an agreement with two undisclosed private vendors to acquire a 100 percent interest in the Amirault lithium property, also in Québec.
Amirault, which is contiguous to Legacy, covers an area of 31,347 hectares and expands Saga’s holdings within the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region to a total of 65,849 hectares — an increase of over 1,274 claims.
In the release, Stier notes that Saga continues to move toward an initial public offering.
“We are working through the regulatory process and anticipate filing our final prospectus in the coming days," he said.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Gradiant's Water-focused Vision for DLE and Tailings Management
There are many companies vying to produce the direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology of choice, but privately owned Gradiant is one of the few that is taking a water-first approach.
Speaking with the Investing News Network (INN) at Fastmarkets' Lithium Supply and Battery Raw Materials Conference, held in Las Vegas from June 24 to 27, Anurag Bajpayee, co-founder and CEO, and Prakash Govindan, co-founder and COO, explained the company’s water-first philosophy and highlighted Gradiant’s current endeavors.
The water-focused company is the brainchild of both Bajpayee and Govindan, who founded the Boston-headquartered company while studying at MIT. Gradiant was developed to offer advanced water and wastewater treatment solutions for critical industries like mining, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy.
Utilizing proprietary technologies, Gradiant’s goal is to reduce water use, minimize wastewater discharge, reclaim resources and convert wastewater into freshwater. To better serve the lithium sector, the company recently spun out alkaLi, a new company focused on scaling battery-grade lithium production using its proprietary EC2 technology.
As noted on the company's website, EC2 is designed to extract, concentrate and convert lithium quickly and efficiently, reducing operational costs and environmental impact. The technology, which adapts to various lithium sources and integrates with existing infrastructure, has been successfully tested and proven commercially.
“It's a startup that benefits from over a decade of experience, and from all the funding we have raised,” said Bajpayee.
For Govindan, Gradiant’s success in the water treatment space is a natural fit for the lithium extraction sector.
“The DLE space is glorified water treatment,” he explained while speaking with INN. “Adsorption, resins, ion exchange and membranes are our bread-and-butter water treatment processes. "
Gradiant's primary water focus and proprietary technologies give alkaLi an edge, noted Bajpayee.
“I think one difference is we are a water company trying to do DLE, not a DLE company trying to do water. Because you can't just do DLE — you either have to do water, or you have to partner with water companies,” the CEO explained.
alkaLi's EC2 is a flexible, three stage system designed to process lithium from various sources, including brine, evaporation and recycling. It can be used in full or in standalone stages, integrates with existing infrastructure and offers an option to boost production with Gradiant's SmartOps AI platform.
Extracting value from wastewater
While alkaLi is lithium centric, Gradiant has a long history of aiding the mining sector in the extraction of commodities from water. “We have worked across mining applications, not just critical minerals like nickel, cobalt and lithium, but also iron ore mines, uranium mines and other sectors,” said Govindan.
In his view, the mining sector has two very specific issues. First, in lithium processing, the mineral is found in water, requiring expertise in concentration, decontamination and conversion to produce battery-grade materials. This process is also applicable to nickel, cobalt and other critical minerals.
The second issue is wastewater treatment or tailings reprocessing, such as in Chile's copper mines, where tailing ponds contain critical minerals and highly polluting wastewater. The technology Gradiant has developed can reclaim valuable minerals while recycling wastewater into fresh water for industrial use.
Pointing to Chile's Atacama province, where water scarcity is a prominent issue, Govindan noted that as much as 60 percent of the potable water in the region is used for mining applications.
“When we recover and reuse that wastewater to the extent of 90 percent, we can reduce that 60 percent all the way down to 6 percent,” he said. “So it's a huge environmental impact, water sustainability impact.”
According to a 2023 article published in the journal "Science of the Total Environment," tailings reprocessing can reduce the amount of tailings that need to be stored, minimize the greenhouse gas emissions associated with new mining and supply approximately 2 percent of the EU’s future copper demand.
Govindan highlighted a nickel project in Australia, where the company was brought in to recover 20 percent of the nickel that wasn't recovered during processing, leading to losses in wastewater.
Gradiant proposed a solution to recover much of the lost nickel, significantly boosting the project's profitability.
Targeting tailings can also produce industrial water for reuse, as the Gradiant executives pointed out. Additionally, as Bajpayee noted, the processes used by Gradiant and alkaLi not only produce reusable water, but can also recover salt and other minerals, resulting in “true zero-discharge projects.”
Junior-focused business model
Being able to recover lost minerals while reusing water can lead to significant cost savings.
“Instead of selling the equipment and walking away, we will put it at the site and operate the equipment. The owner pays us per liter of water we produce, per tonne of lithium we produce, which really helps the juniors,” said Govindan.
“(Juniors) are in a capital-intensive industry, and when prices are US$12,000 per tonne for lithium, they're not able to raise capital. Then there is Gradiant, the only unicorn in the water tech space. We have an excellent balance sheet; also we are able to raise debt and equity capital, which we can use to help them by putting the equipment ourselves.”
EC2’s modular design makes it easy and fast to set up, which is another plus for junior miners looking to take advantage of future market trends quickly. “Two things are very important in terms of product philosophy for us (and) for lithium especially: productization and digitalization. The EC2 technology is very modular and it's very digital,” said Govindan.
“We have artificial intelligence; we have a SmartOps platform we developed for water treatment, but is lithium applicable. So we are able to provide highly modular, highly digitalized solutions.”
For companies looking to produce lithium hydroxide instead of carbonate, a simple converter can be implemented that converts carbonate to hydroxide, the executives explained.
Being a bespoke water-first company also makes the technologies developed by Gradiant versatile.
“Using variable brines is something that actually comes quite naturally to us,” said Bajpayee. “And the ability to customize solutions makes it also widely applicable, whether it's South America, the US or Australia.”
Aside from designing water solutions for industries like mining, Gradiant has developed technologies to target perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals.
Gradiant's ForeverGone is a comprehensive solution for permanently eliminating PFAS. Unlike current technologies that only transfer PFAS waste, ForeverGone uses micro-foam fractionation to concentrate PFAS, as well as a destruction engine for electro-oxidation to completely destroy the chemicals.
This process ensures water meets or exceeds US Environmental Protection Agency standards, offering an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable method for PFAS removal.
“(The goal is) to build an impact that will outlast you. That's the ultimate measure of success,” said Bajpayee.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
Jindalee Lithium Limited (ASX: JLL) – Reinstatement to Quotation
Description
The suspension of trading in the securities of Jindalee Lithium Limited (‘JLL’) will be lifted immediately, following the release by JRL of an announcement regarding a capital raising.
Issued by
ASX Compliance
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This article includes content from Jindalee Lithium Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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