Join Zoom: Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82638848743 Meeting ID: 826 3884 8743
Presenter: Salman Safari
Founder and President, Recion Technologies, Inc.
Petro-lithium brines: Their importance to North American battery supply chain
Please join us on Wednesday, May 17th, 2023 for a virtual meeting beginning at 12:30 p.m.
In this presentation, I will briefly talk about the presence of lithium in North American brines followed by an overview of recent technological advancements to make lithium production from such brines economically viable. I will conclude my presentation with the progress that we have made at Recion Technologies and our plans for upcoming months.
The past decade has experienced an unprecedented surge in demand for lithium products driven by their growing use in battery powered electric vehicles and portable electronics. Most lithium products are sourced from South America (Chile and Argentina) because of lithium concentration and dry climate, or they are refined in China due to low energy cost and less stringent environmental protection policies. With growing political tension between Western economies and China, political instability in South America and concerns about the adequacy of lithium supplies, lithium production from unconventional resources such as low-grade petrobrines, found in North America, has become an economically attractive venture.
The presence of sub-100 ppm Li in Western Canadian oilfield brines has been known for more than three decades; however, the complexity of oilfield brine chemistry and relatively low concentrations of Li have hampered its commercial production. Accelerating global clean energy transition has motivated the provincial and federal governments of Canada to establish a roadmap for the production of critical minerals such as lithium as reflected in their recent announcements including Renewing Alberta’s Mineral Future, The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, and Canada-U.S. Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals. This generational opportunity has prompted technology companies like Recion Technologies to pivot their strategy towards tuning their Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process for lithium production from unconventional brines in North America to unlock >$50B worth of lithium product. Compared to the conventional salars in South America, North American petrolithium and geothermal brines are considered low grade; however, efficient lithium extraction processes combined with a high forecasted price of lithium carbonate /hydroxide have made such assets highly attractive.
Founded upon several years of experience in researching lithium extraction technologies, Recion Technologies was incorporated in late 2019 with the mission to commercialize a process to extract, concentrate, purify, and produce lithium from such brines to enable nascent lithium mining industry in Canada to domestically generate high-value lithium products. A successful commercialization of this process will contribute to the diversification of the Canadian mining sector and aid in positioning Western Canada as one of strongholds of Li production in North America.
Salman has a PhD in chemical engineering and more than 10 years of experience in water treatment and clean technologies. In the past several years, he has been working on advanced methods for lithium extraction from unconventional resources and he has developed the core aspects of Recion’s technology. Salman is a professional member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.
Topic: Petro-lithium brines: Their importance to North American battery supply chain
Time: May 17, 2023 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82638848743
Meeting ID: 826 3884 8743