Smackover Lithium Successfully Completes Derisking of DLE
Technology With Final Field-Test at South West Arkansas Project
Field-Pilot DLE Facility Exceeds Key
Performance Criteria to Confirm Engineering Design for South West
Arkansas Project
Large Volumes of DLE Product Sent to
Third Party Vendors for Conversion to Battery-Quality Lithium
Carbonate – These Samples Will Be Used in the Qualification Process
With Potential Off-Take Partners
LEWISVILLE, Ark., March 11, 2025 (GLOBE
NEWSWIRE) -- Smackover Lithium, a Joint Venture (“JV”) between
Standard Lithium Ltd. (“Standard Lithium” or the
“Company”) (TSXV:SLI) (NYSE:A:SLI) and Equinor, has achieved
one of the last technical milestones in the development of the
South West Arkansas (“SWA”) project located in Lafayette and
Columbia Counties, Arkansas. The JV, in partnership with Koch
Technology Solutions (“KTS”), successfully completed the final
Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) derisking step for the SWA
project, a critical step toward commercialization. Over a
three-month period, the JV and its partners operated an onsite DLE
field-pilot plant, where it surpassed key performance criteria
(more details provided below). Additionally, large-volume samples
of the concentrated and purified DLE product have been sent to
third-party vendors. These vendors will convert the DLE product
into battery-quality lithium carbonate while also being assessed as
potential equipment suppliers for the commercial project. The
resulting samples will play a key role in the qualification process
with prospective off-take partners.
Highlights of this final derisking pilot
include:
- Lithium recovery far exceeded the
design criteria. During sustained operation, the DLE field-pilot
plant recovered over 99% of the lithium from brine sourced from the
SWA project’s International Paper Company (“IPC-1”) well, far
exceeding the 95% recovery used in the current design (average
lithium content of the incoming brine was 427 mg/L);
- Rejections for key contaminants
were within acceptable tolerance of (i.e. just above or below) the
design criteria;
- The field-pilot plant processed
over 2,385 barrels (100,170 gallons) of brine from the IPC-1
well;
- Field-pilot plant completed over
497 DLE cycles;
- These recent data from the
field-pilot plant testing supplement the 28,367,185 gallons of
brine processed, and the 11,206 cycles of DLE completed at Standard
Lithium’s Demonstration Plant in El Dorado, Arkansas, operating
since 2020;
- The heart of the plant is the same
KTS Li-ProTM Lithium Selective Sorption (Li-Pro LSS)
technology, as described in the Company’s recent news release
(28 October 2024);
- The field-pilot plant has produced
approximately 970 gallons (3,672 litres) of concentrated and
purified lithium chloride solution (6% LiCl solution);
- The 970 gallons of 6% LiCl solution
is currently being sent off-site to three separate potential
carbonate equipment vendors; and,
- The three vendors are expected
to produce, in total, approximately 27 kg of battery-quality
lithium carbonate, anticipated in May 2025.
Standard Lithium’s President and COO, Dr. Andy
Robinson commented “This field-pilot is the final step in
derisking DLE technology for Smackover brines; we’re now ready to
commercialize this technology. For 5 years, Standard Lithium has
been operating a large-scale Demonstration Plant in Arkansas, and
we’ve processed over 28 million gallons of real, live Smackover
brine. This large Demonstration Plant has been invaluable in
developing, streamlining and optimising the flowsheet. The
field-pilot was the final step to demonstrate that we can reliably
process brine from our SWA project, extract lithium in real-time,
and convert to a battery-quality lithium carbonate product.
Smackover Lithium has now completed the necessary testing of the
flowsheet, and can complete the FEED work and feasibility
study.”
Figure 1 – Standard Lithium operators checking performance of the
DLE field pilot. The larger blue and white enclosure houses the
pre-treatment, filtration and DLE (LSS column) process steps.
Figure 2 – Standard Lithium operators monitoring performance of the
filtration process step.
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.
About Smackover Lithium
Smackover Lithium is a joint venture between
Standard Lithium and Equinor. Formed in May 2024, Smackover Lithium
is developing two Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) Project
Companies in southwest Arkansas and east Texas. Standard Lithium
owns 55% interest and Equinor holds the remaining 45% interest in
the two project Companies, with Standard Lithium retaining
operatorship. For more information on the joint venture, please
visit www.smackoverlithium.com.
About Standard Lithium Ltd.
Standard Lithium is a leading near-commercial
lithium development company focused on the sustainable development
of a portfolio of large, high-grade lithium-brine properties in the
United States. The Company prioritizes projects characterized by
the highest quality resources, robust infrastructure, skilled
labor, and streamlined permitting. Standard Lithium 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 flagship
projects are located in the Smackover Formation, a world-class
lithium brine asset, focused in Arkansas and Texas. In partnership
with global energy leader Equinor, Standard Lithium is advancing
the South West Arkansas project, a greenfield project located in
southern Arkansas, and actively exploring promising lithium brine
prospects in East Texas. Additionally, the Company is advancing the
Phase 1A project in partnership with LANXESS Corporation, a
brownfield development project located in southern Arkansas.
Standard Lithium also holds an interest in certain mineral leases
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.
About Equinor
Equinor is an international energy company
committed to long-term value creation in a low-carbon future.
Equinor’s portfolio of projects encompasses oil and gas, renewables
and low-carbon solutions, with an ambition of becoming a net-zero
energy company by 2050. Headquartered in Norway, Equinor is the
leading operator on the Norwegian continental shelf and is present
in around 30 countries worldwide. Our partnership with Standard
Lithium to mature DLE projects builds on our broad US energy
portfolio of oil and gas, offshore wind, low carbon solutions and
battery storage projects.
For more information on Equinor in the US,
please visit: Equinor in the US - Equinor
About Koch Technology Solutions
(KTS)
Koch Technology Solutions is the technology
licensing business of Koch Engineered Solutions (KES). KTS creates
value for its customers across a growing portfolio of technologies
including direct lithium extraction, the polyester value chain, and
1,4-Butananediol plus its derivates. KTS combines its exclusive
technologies, expertise, and capabilities with those of other KES
companies to provide overall solutions to optimize customer’s
capital investments and existing manufacturing assets.
Investor and Media Contacts:
Chris Lang
Standard Lithium Ltd.
investors@standardithium.com
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) 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 “forward looking information”
within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. When
used in this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”,
“estimate”, “expect”, “target”, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”, “will”,
“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, continued
operation of the demonstration plant and the field-pilot DLE plant,
outcomes of commercialization, regulatory or government
requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party
information, continued production of lithium chloride solutions,
consistent ongoing lithium recovery quantities, 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 or information. 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.
Figures accompanying this announcement are
available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e0081645-6f2c-4fa8-9545-b3d522d892ef
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8f0f751b-d576-4338-983a-a8b25f5c6d7e
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