Standard Lithium Installs Commercial DLE Column at Demonstration Plant Further Derisks DLE Process With Testing Planned Using Full-Scale Commercial Equipment Over the Next 6 Months
Standard Lithium Installs Commercial DLE Column at Demonstration Plant
Further Derisks DLE Process With Testing Planned Using Full-Scale Commercial Equipment Over the Next 6 Months
EL DORADO, Ark., March 13, 2024 -- Standard Lithium Ltd. (“Standard Lithium” or the “Company”) (TSXV:SLI) (NYSE
American:SLI) (FRA:S5L), a leading near-commercial lithium development company, is pleased to announce that it has
successfully installed a commercial-scale Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) column at its Demonstration Plant near El Dorado,
Arkansas. The column is a LiPRO™ Lithium Selective Sorption (“LSS”) unit, supplied by Koch Technology Solutions, LLC
(“KTS”).
The column has been installed and integrated with the Company’s existing Demonstration Plant to test and derisk the design
for commercial applications of the LiPRO™ LSS technology. It is the same size and design as those that the Company
intends to use (in multiple trains) in its commercial applications for the Phase 1A and South West Arkansas projects (as
described in the Company’s recent Definitive Feasibility Study for the Phase 1A project and Preliminary Feasibility Study for
the South West Arkansas project).
The commercial-scale LiPRO™ LSS column is currently being filled with Koch Engineered Solutions proprietary lithium-
selective sorption with commissioning expected later this month. Extensive performance testing of the commercial-scale DLE
technology will be performed over the following months under the supervision of Standard Lithium and KTS technical
specialists.
Standard Lithium’s Director, President & COO, Dr. Andy Robinson commented, “this is an important derisking milestone for
Standard Lithium and our partners. Our team has been successfully running the LiPRO™ LSS technology since October
2022, and we have already successfully completed scale-ups of the DLE equipment at the Demonstration Plant; this is our
final stage of derisking the technology. The data gathered from this commercial-scale unit will provide crucial validation and
derisking information for our ongoing project finance processes, as well as FEED and DFS studies for the South West
Arkansas Project (see news release dated 24 January 2024). We’re very grateful for our partners Koch Technology Solutions
and LANXESS who have helped to make this final derisking step possible .”
Standard Lithium's Demonstration Plant is the only large-scale, continuously operating DLE plant in North America. Initially
commissioned in May 2020, the Plant has processed over 16.4 million gallons (62 million litres) of Smackover brine.
“The long-term operation of our Demo Plant has been crucial in replicating and understanding the real-world dynamic
conditions of continuous commercial-scale operations,” said Dr. Robinson. “With our partner Koch Technology Solutions, we
have been able to tailor and optimise the multi-step flowsheet that will allow the Plant to be scaled for commercial production.
The knowledge we have on-hand from over four years of operations, combined with an optimised flowsheet and now a
commercial-scale DLE column, puts us in a strong position as we continue to advance our projects.”
Recent technical highlights of the Demo Plant and the existing LiPRO™ LSS (DLE) column are provided below.
Key Findings:
• Lithium Recovery Efficiency: As a recent weekly snapshot demonstrates (early March 2024), the LiPRO™ LSS (DLE)
process achieved an average weekly lithium recovery of 95.9% from the continuous incoming brine flow.
• Element Rejection Rate: During the same period, the DLE process rejected, on average, over 99.3% of the key
contaminants sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium from the brine (i.e. less than 0.7% of those contaminants
made it through the DLE into the first lithium chloride solution); and over 94.2% of boron was rejected.
• Operational Cycles: The LiPRO™ LSS (DLE) process has completed over 8,585 operational cycles.
• The LiPRO™ LSS column has been operating with negligible degradation or loss of the sorbent media, and brine pre-
treatment has been optimized to allow for foulant-free operation of the DLE step.
• Brine Processed: As of the end of December 2023 (per Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission reporting), the Demo Plant
had processed 16,418,408 gallons (62,143,674 litres) of Smackover brine, produced directly from the formation and
reinjected continuously back into the same formation.
Dr. Robinson added: “One of the fundamental findings of the Demonstration Plant is the necessity of long-duration, on-site
continuous processing of real brine. Our Demo Plant handles real Smackover brine directly from the resource, whereas in
traditional small-scale, short-term off-site batch processes, brine is isolated, transported and often undergoes physical and
chemical changes before testing. With the commercial-scale LSS column, we can continuously test real brine from the
Smackover at a commercial level.”
Figure 1 – Commercial-scale DLE column installed at Standard Lithium’s Demonstration Plant near El Dorado, Arkansas.
Figure 2 – Barrels of Koch Engineered Solutions proprietary lithium-selective sorption currently being loaded into the
commercial-scale LSS unit ahead of initial commissioning, expected in late March 2024.
About Standard Lithium Ltd.
Standard Lithium is a leading near-commercial lithium development company focused on the sustainable development of a
portfolio of lithium-brine bearing properties in the United States. The Company prioritizes brine projects characterized by high-
grade resources, robust infrastructure, skilled labor, and streamlined permitting. The Company aims to achieve sustainable,
commercial-scale lithium production via the application of a scalable and fully-integrated Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) and
purification process. The Company’s signature projects, the Phase 1A Project and the South West Arkansas Project, are
located on the Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas, a region with a longstanding and established brine processing
industry. The Company has also identified a number of highly prospective lithium brine project areas in the Smackover
Formation in East Texas and began an extensive brine leasing program in the key project areas. In addition, the Company has
an interest in certain mineral leases located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.
Standard Lithium trades on both the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American under the symbol “SLI”; and on the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “S5L”. Please visit the Company’s website at www.standardlithium.com.
Qualified Person
Marek Dworzanowski, EUR ING, CEng, HonFSAIMM, FIMMM, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101,
and a Consulting Metallurgical Engineer who is independent of the Company, has reviewed and approved the relevant scientific
and technical information in this news release.
Twitter: @standardlithium
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-lithium/
Neither the 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 intended development timelines, 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
affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f4d74350-bc9f-4483-82cb-e37835e5ff15
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2764a1d1-e281-4e25-ac49-d8ca2f5f1e0d
Investor and Media Inquiries
Allysa Howell
Vice President, Corporate Communications
+1 720 484 1147