E3 Lithium is an Alberta-based company dedicated to the direct extraction of Lithium. The commitment of the organization is to extract lithium for the production of batteries while, at the same time, focusing ESG for a minimal environmental footprint.

Lithium demand had been increasing as the price of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) becomes more competitive with Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). E3 Lithium is joining the next generation wave to help increase the offer of lithium for the production of BEV.

E3 Lithium extraction system has the following steps:

• 1) Lithium Brine is extracted through production 2.500 km deep-wells.
• 2) The lithium-brine solution is then passed through an adsorbant that chemically absorbes lithium.
• 3) Ion-exchange extraction process: the adsorbed lithium is turned into lithium hydroxide using conventional production equipment.
• 4) The lithium hydroxide is then polished and the remaining brine (from the previous processes) is injected back into the aquifer.
• 5) Lithium hydroxide is then cristallized using heat
• 6) Lithium Production

THE PROJECT

Based in Alberta, Canada, E3 Lithium’s Clearwater Project is being developed in the Leduc Formation, well-known by the O&G industry. For this, the Company has mineral permits to 258 sections of land in Southeast Saskatchewan.

In 2023, the company constructed and operated their DLE field pilot, which demonstrated DLE technology at near commercial scale in real world operating conditions. Results from the company suggests that the project exceeded all Key Performance Indicators. E3 Lithium has also demonstrated the viability of downstream refining processes on its brine by producing high quality lithium carbonate and battery-grade Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate (LHM) at a purity of 99.78%.

Upon completion of the longer operating period currently underway, E3 Lithium is likely to have the data required for its Prefeasibility Study (PFS), Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and the detailed engineering and design for its first commercial facility. This longer operation will also produce lithium concentrate for further downstream processing of battery grade LHM and will be ongoing until early 2024.

LATEST FUNDS

August, 2024

• Alberta is investing $5 million through the TIER program to support E3 Lithium's technology.

• E3 Lithium’s project, backed by provincial funding, aims to commercialize lithium extraction from Alberta's vast brine reserves.

For the time being, the company is developing their own project that will allow them to test the technology at scale and scale up to commercial levels. There after, the company might be able to lease the technology to replicate the results in different geographies, though that is still to be decided and communicated.

• In comparison to conventional extraction methods, Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) drastically reduces production times, while, at the same time, being effective (reduce impurities by over 99%) and efficient (low energy consumption and high recovery)
• The sorbent developed by E3 Lithium and the University of Alberta has been designed to be highly selective for lithium compared to other unwanted dissolved ions, such as Ca, Mg, and Na.
• Initial results from the field pilot include:
  • >80% lithium recovery
  • > 25% concentration of lithium relative to other impurities
  • Concentration of lithium in the product stream was over 600 mg/L
  • Flow rate ratio > 3 (brine flow rate divided by he system volumetric capacity) (as high as 15.6)
• The production systems extracts lithium brine and injects back the brine without the lithium, keeping the brine free from chemicals
• By operating a gas fired power facility within the project site, E3 can deploy local technology and expertise to sequester the CO2 from the exhaust and dispose into the aquifer

E3 Lithium technology is aiming at the electric mobility sector while also contributing to any lithium-battery need in the industry.