Adsorption-type Direct Lithium Extraction.
A growing wave of sustainable lithium supply
Making sustainable lithium extraction possible A-DLE.
A-DLE constitutes 10% of lithium production today and is set to increase to 15% of market share in the next 10 years due to its cost, purity and sustainability advantages. With A-DLE, a growing wave of sustainable lithium supply is building. Invented in the 1970s and commercially used since 1996, multiple new commercial projects have been built over the past years and even new competitors have entered the market.
As A-DLE has synergies with oil and gas projects, major players from this industry are starting to invest in the space. A-DLE can draw on naturally occurring, geothermal renewable energy to power the lithium production process and create a renewable energy co-product. This uses no fossil fuels in the process, requires very little water and has a tiny land footprint.
Choosing sustainable solutions Distinct advantages of A-DLE.
As the industry evolves, Adsorption-type DLE is becoming the preferred choice for responsible lithium production, mostly because A-DLE stands out with distinct advantages over other DLE methods:
Track record
Low operating costs
Reduces environmental impact
Product quality
Sustainable lithium extraction How a sorbent comes into use for DLE.
The subsurface reservoirs in the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field contain lithium in dissolved form within the brine. By bringing this brine to the surface, lithium can be extracted using a sorbent through a proven technology known as Adsorption-type Direct Lithium Extraction (A-DLE). This commercially established method has been utilised in the lithium industry for decades and is particularly well-suited for brines with high salinity and geothermal heat, such as those found in the Upper Rhine Valley.
Common questions and answers Q&A
This is a common misunderstanding, as “DLE” is an umbrella term, which refers to more than one kind of technology. DLE using an aluminate-type adsorbent, like Vulcan is doing, is proven, has been used commercially for decades in the lithium industry, and can be used on most brines where salinity and heat is present. Now that the lithium industry is growing and sustainability is becoming a much bigger issue, its use is increasing very quickly.
It is the novel DLE methods that are being tested by academic researchers and start-ups that are not commercially proven, such as titanium/manganese-based ion exchange materials, and membranes. Beware: not all “DLE” is the same.
There have been a spate of government-funded research projects worldwide into novel, unproven types of “DLE”. The industry should support R&D into new lithium extraction technologies where the brines are not amenable to Adsorption-type DLE (A-DLE). However, where brine conditions are amenable to A-DLE, there is no pressing need for further research into novel technologies.
A strength of A-DLE is that it uses very little chemical reagents, and the main inputs are heat, brine and water. The sorbent needs to be “washed” with water to desorb the lithium from the sorbent. If simple recycles are built into the process design, this water can be reused again and again, resulting in a tiny water footprint. So yes, if done right, A-DLE is a low water use as well as low carbon way of producing lithium for electric vehicles.