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((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto)) by Ernest Scheyder
The Chilean miner SQM
SQMA.SN plans to choose one or more direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies by next year to rapidly increase production of the electric vehicle battery metal in the Salar de Atacama, a company said. leader Wednesday.
The use of DLE technologies is a key part of SQM’s () long-awaited joint venture agreement with state-owned Codelco, announced last month, as well as President Gabriel Boric’s drive to reduce pond usage. evaporation, which wastes water, to produce the metal.
Chile is the world’s second-largest producer of lithium after Australia, thanks to production by SQM and rival Albemarle ALB.N , which plans its own use of DLE in the country.
Boric’s tenure has sparked a frenzy among DLE companies to operate in Chile, which has the world’s largest lithium reserves. But to date, DLE technology has not worked on a commercial scale without the use of ponds.
Santiago-based SQM studied more than 70 DLE technologies before selecting 12 for pilot testing, two of which are underway, Carlos Diaz, head of SQM’s lithium business, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Fastmarkets Lithium Supply and Battery Raw Materials conference in Las Vegas.
Given the large size and chemical complexity of the Atacama, SQM will likely choose several DLE companies as part of the phased implementation of technologies aimed at increasing production to an annual range of 280,000 to 300,000 metric tons of lithium by 2060, up from an estimated 200,000 tons this year, he said.
“We would like to have several (DLE) solutions,” said Mr. Diaz, an engineer by training who joined SQM in 1996. “It is difficult to choose one that is suitable and suitable for all kinds of different chemicals that can be found in different types of brine
Aurora Williams, Chile’s mining minister, said in April that she did not intend to mandate a specific type of DLE technology for use in the country.
Earlier this year, SQM tested DLE technology from French company Adionics, in which it has invested.
For SQM, the electricity consumption of DLEs is higher than that of evaporation ponds, and some versions use a lot of fresh water, Diaz said. The company is also concerned about how brine reinjection after lithium separation could affect aquifers.
“We have to be very careful about how we affect the environmental balance of aquifers,” he added.
After the selection, SQM will have to apply for environmental permits from Chilean authorities, a process that could take up to three years, Diaz said.
Separately, SQM has made international investments in hard-rock lithium mining, including in Australian company Azure Minerals, in an initiative that Diaz said aims to expand geographic reach. of the company.
“We explored different alternatives outside of Chile in order to diversify,” Mr. Diaz said. “To continue to increase lithium production due to growing demand, we must diversify and seek new resources
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