Standard Lithium Completes Lithium Carbonate Crystallisation Pilot Prototype
STANDARD LITHIUM COMPLETES LITHIUM CARBONATE CRYSTALLISATION PILOT
PROTOTYPE
25th October 2018 – Vancouver, BC – Standard Lithium Ltd.(“Standard Lithium” or the
“Company”) (TSXV: SLL) (OTCQX: STLHF) (FRA: S5L), is pleased to announce that the
Company has completed the construction of the prototype pilot plant for its proprietary selective
crystallisation process, and is currently commissioning the plant for operation. The pilot
prototype has been designed and fabricated in partnership with Saltworks Technologies Inc.
and will be initially operated at their facility in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
The prototype pilot has been designed based on Standard Lithium’s proprietary process that
selectively crystallises “battery-quality” lithium carbonate from concentrated lithium chloride
solutions (see Standard Lithium’s previous news release dated 12th Sept regarding progress on
the lithium extraction pilot plant that will produce the concentrated lithium chloride solutions). To
date, the Company’s testwork has been completed at laboratory scale, and has yielded high
purity lithium carbonate material (>99.5% purity). The newly constructed pilot prototype will
operate on a semi-continuous basis, whereby the feed solution is periodically replenished, and
the final high purity lithium carbonate is periodically removed. The prototype is designed to
process up to 100 L/day of inlet brine, and produce up to 1 kg/day of lithium carbonate. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) enabled high-speed, multi-image photo-microscopy and computer image
recognition for crystal size and shape will be tested during the prototype, and will be fully
integrated into the process control system for the subsequent full-scale pilot.
The prototype is considered to be a proof-of-concept for the proprietary process, and
commissioning is currently underway at Saltworks. It is expected that members of Standard
Lithium’s Technical Advisory Committee and their staff will operate the prototype for 2-3 months.
If results are positive, Standard Lithium will commission and build the full-scale crystallisation
pilot plant for future deployment at the Project site in southern Arkansas.
Dr. Andy Robinson, President and COO of Standard Lithium commented, “we’re very excited to
have this prototype pilot plant built and commissioned, and we are very grateful to Saltworks
Technologies Inc. for their knowledge, expertise and diligence in designing, fabricating and
commissioning this prototype so quickly. It’s our hope that we can demonstrate how
sophisticated modern crystallisation technologies developed and transferred from the
pharmaceuticals industry can be adapted for use in the modern world of high purity lithium
chemicals.”
Ben Sparrow, CEO & Chief Engineer of Saltworks commented, “Standard Lithium’s proprietary
process showed compelling potential when we ran it through our in-house mass & energy
balance computer models and detailed engineering. This is why we put our best people on it
and accelerated the build. The next step is to dial-in their innovation and start making high
grade lithium carbonate. If Standard Lithium likes the work and results, we are ready to rapidly
deliver a mobile fully continuous plant and support Standard Lithium to commercialise this high-
potential technology.”
The Company also announces that it has reached an agreement with Native Ads, Inc. (“Native
Ads”) pursuant to which the Company will increase the budget under the master services
agreement entered into with Native Ads. Native Ads provides the Company with
comprehensive digital media marketing services. The new budget will allocate a further
$250,000 to these services, of which $187,500 will be allocated to digital advertising, paid
distribution and media buying, and the balance will be allocated to content creation and
consulting and management services.
For further information concerning the Company’s engagement with Native Ads, readers are
encouraged to review the Company’s news release of 19th July 2018. Neither Native Ads, nor
any of its directors or officers, own any securities of the Company.
The Company also wishes to clarify that it did not proceed with the intended grant of 2,100,000
restricted share units (RSUs) as announced in its news release of 21 st February, 2018. The
board of directors have ultimately elected not to implement a restricted share unit plan at this
time, and will not be proceeding with the grant of RSUs.
Quality Assurance
Ross Lewis, Professional Engineer (APEGBC#116613), is a qualified person as defined by NI
43-101, and has reviewed and approved the relevant technical information that forms the basis
for this news release. Mr. Lewis is a consultant to the Company.
About Standard Lithium Ltd.
The Company’s flagship project is located in southern Arkansas, where it is engaged in the
testing and proving of the commercial viability of lithium extraction from over 150,000 acres of
permitted brine operations utilising the Company’s proprietary selective extraction technology.
The Company is also pursuing the resource development of over 30,000 acres of separate brine
leases located in southwestern Arkansas and approximately 45,000 acres of mineral leases
located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.
Standard Lithium is listed on the TSX Venture under the trading symbol “SLL”; quoted on the
OTCQX under the symbol “STLHF”; and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol
“S5L”. Please visit the Company’s website atwww.standardlithium.com.
For further information, contact Anthony Alvaro at (604) 240 4793
About Saltworks Technologies
Saltworks Technologies treats the toughest water. Saltworks delivers intelligent industrial
desalination and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) water treatment plants. We reliably separate out
the salt, so customers can focus on their core business (www.saltworkstech.com).
For further information, contact Sydney Juzenas at (604) 628 6508 x260.
On behalf of the Board,
Standard Lithium Ltd.
Robert Mintak, CEO & Director
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of
the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This
news release may contain certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in
this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”,
“schedule” and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information.
These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of
mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or
approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure,
fluctuations in the market for lithium and its derivatives, changes in exploration costs and government
regulation in Canada and the United States, and other factors or information. Such statements represent
the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of
assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to
significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties.
Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be
materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any
obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or
changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as
required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.