LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners Inc. announced a successful field trial of its mobile direct lithium extraction (DLE) unit in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale, the company said in a July 17 release.
The results confirmed that the DLE unit achieved an average 96% lithium extraction rate from Bakken oilfield brine, the company said.
The field trial was conducted at Compass Energy System’s Blue Marlin saltwater disposal facility in North Dakota.
The average lithium content of the processed brine at the site was 75 mg/L; average volume per DLE cycle was 300 gallons over the trial period; and more than 1,300 DLE cycles have been completed across six months of U.S. field operations, LibertyStream added.
LibertyStream said the purpose of the field trial was to compare the performance and efficacy of the mobile DLE unit against previous pilot trials performed at the company’s research and development center in Calgary, Alberta.
The initiative is in partnership with Wellspring Hydro, the company said.
The field trial was supported by a combined $2.5 million in funding through the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s Clean Sustainable Authority and Renewable Energy program.
“This milestone builds on six months of intensive operations in Texas, during which the company completed over 1,300 DLE runs, demonstrating robust and scalable technology readiness,” said Alex Wylie, president & CEO of LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners. “These trials are instrumental to our strategy and showcase the continued progress toward transforming lithium extraction in a responsible, capital-light and high-efficiency manner as we transition to commercial operations in America.”