Demand for lithium is primarily driven by the growing electric vehicle market and renewable energy storage needs.
Market analysis indicates that the global lithium demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, so new solutions for its extraction are being sought around the world. Now, the good news is that technology company Schlumberger (SLB) has announced a new solution for sustainable lithium production at scale.
This marks a significant development for lithium battery manufacturing and the clean energy sector. The company’s demonstration plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada, has achieved remarkable results that could revolutionize the lithium industry and accelerate the availability of responsibly sourced lithium products to market.
SLB's novel approach has demonstrated the ability to produce lithium 500 times faster than conventional methods, using only 10 percent of the land typically required. Operating at approximately one-tenth the size of a commercial-scale facility, the demonstration plant has reached a verified recovery rate of 96 percent lithium from brine!
This high recovery rate is particularly noteworthy compared to traditional evaporation methods, which often achieve 50 percent or less recovery rates. As the global demand for lithium continues to rise, innovations like SLB’s integrated sustainable lithium production could play a crucial role in meeting this demand sustainably.
By addressing key challenges such as production speed, land use, water consumption, and environmental impact, SLB’s technology has the potential to transform the lithium industry and support the transition to a cleaner energy future. The increased efficiency and sustainability of SLB’s sustainable lithium production method could have far-reaching economic implications for the lithium market and related industries.
“Lithium is a key enabler of electrification, so we must find ways to accelerate its production without adversely affecting the environment,” said Gavin Rennick, President of SLB’s New Energy business. “SLB’s demonstration plant in Clayton Valley proves our unique integrated approach to produce scalable quantities of lithium in the fastest, most economical and sustainable way for today’s market.”