Argentina: Lake Resources, a clean Lithium developer, and its technology partner Lilac Solutions have successfully produced 2,500 kilograms of Lithium Carbonate equivalent at the Kachi processing plant in Argentina. Using Lilac's direct Lithium extraction technology, ore extraction and processing from Kachi saw an 80% Lithium recovery rate and 90% plant uptime.
Conventional Aluminum-based absorbents typically require ten times more water, but with Lilac's technology, only one-tenth of the water was used. Additionally, the process took up to one-thousand times less land when compared to traditional evaporation ponds. As a result of this achievement, Lilac's ownership of the Kachi project has grown from 10% to 20%.
Lake and Lilac have announced that Kachi project has successfully passed the pilot phase and is now moving towards full-scale development. The progress made in Lithium production technology has reached an important milestone with the Kachi project. This project is expected to be the first of its kind in South America, as it is set to produce Lithium on a commercial scale through brine extraction without relying on evaporation ponds for Lithium concentration.
In what is regarded as a historic advancement in Lithium production technology, Kachi project successfully implemented ion exchange for Lithium production in the region. According to Lake and Lilac's joint statement, this is a significant achievement that represents a new era for scalable Lithium production.
The energy transition heavily relies on Lithium, but due to production technology limitations, the costs have surged, and the element has become scarce, with prices becoming increasingly volatile. Lake's Kachi project, located in Argentina's renowned Lithium triangle, covers 2,200 sq. km, along with three other projects. By utilizing Lilac's cutting-edge ion exchange extraction technology, the Kachi project flagship guarantees the creation of sustainable and high-purity Lithium.
An innovative technology has been developed those addresses two pressing concerns in the industry- the need for battery materials with high purity to prevent performance issues, and the demand for environmentally sustainable and responsibly sourced materials with low Carbon footprint and positive environmental, social and governance impacts. Kachi, once fully developed, has the potential to produce 50,000t per annum of Lithium products that meet high standards for use in batteries.
