Lithium extraction from hard rock, clays, and brines presents distinct processing challenges and design implications for project execution. Hard rock requires high-temperature calcination and leaching circuits, impacting thermal integration and refractory material selection. Lithium clays demand scalable, low-cost acid leaching or emerging selective extraction methods, often constrained by high solid-to-liquid ratios and reagent costs. Brine resources increasingly favor Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies—adsorption, solvent extraction, ion exchange, and membrane systems—designed for modularity, lower footprint, and integration with thermal crystallization or MVR units. Feedstock variability drives the need for flexible process schemes, modular plant configurations, and lifecycle-optimized CAPEX/OPEX trade-offs. This comparative overview provides a framework for selecting and scaling lithium recovery technologies, emphasizing front-end engineering design (FEED) alignment, energy efficiency, and rapid deployment for commercially viable lithium production across variable geologies.
This presentation will qualify for CE credit.
6:00 PM Social
6:30 PM Dinner
6:45 PM Zoom Room Opens
7:00 PM Presentation
Current officers -Chairman: Bill Thompson, chair@wscaiche.org or bthompson@ortecinc.com; Vice-Chairman Jim Young, james.h.young@fluor.com or vchair@wscaiche.org; Secretary Devon Clymer, sec@wscaiche.org or devon.clymer@jacobs.com; and Treasurer Kevin Pait, treasurer@wscaiche.org
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