Intrepid Potash-Wendover, Aquatech Worldwide, and Adionics have superior their Wendover Lithium Challenge in Utah, reporting excessive lithium restoration and battery-grade product high quality from potash brine waste streams. The undertaking is positioned as a home supply of important minerals that would assist electrification and downstream industries, together with batteries for uncrewed methods and different protection and aerospace functions beforehand affected by uncommon earth and significant mineral constraints.
Wendover Lithium Challenge efficiency
The Wendover facility is designed to provide 5,000 metric tons per 12 months of battery-grade lithium carbonate equal (LCE) from present potash brine operations in Utah. In keeping with undertaking companions, current check campaigns achieved a lithium extraction charge of 92.9%, with general lithium chloride purity exceeding 99.5% previous to ultimate conversion.
In subsequent course of steps, Aquatech experiences changing the lithium‑wealthy brine right into a lithium carbonate product with purity at or above 99.5%, assembly key specs for battery manufacturing. This efficiency means that the built-in circulation sheet—from selective extraction by means of focus and conversion—can constantly ship materials appropriate for top‑efficiency power storage functions.
Superior ionic extraction know-how
The Wendover Lithium Challenge combines Intrepid’s present brine useful resource and operational footprint with Aquatech’s course of engineering and Adionics’ ionic extraction know-how. Adionics’ strategy focuses on selectively recovering lithium from complicated brine matrices, enabling the companions to transform what was beforehand handled as waste brine right into a strategic mineral stream with out creating a greenfield evaporation or mining asset.
Check outcomes point out that the method can keep each excessive restoration and excessive purity, two parameters which can be important for scaling lithium manufacturing for battery provide chains supporting electrical automobiles and uncrewed methods. By leveraging present industrial infrastructure, the undertaking goals to shorten timelines in comparison with many early‑stage mining initiatives within the broader important minerals sector.
Home important minerals provide
Positioned in Wendover, Utah, the power is anticipated to provide sufficient lithium carbonate equal to assist round 5,000 EVs over the following decade, whereas creating new technical and operational jobs in rural Utah. For U.S. producers of drones and different uncrewed platforms which have already confronted strain from China’s uncommon earth export restrictions and associated provide chain disruptions, the emergence of recent home important mineral sources is a crucial a part of lengthy‑time period resilience planning. Companions state that remodeling waste brine right into a home lithium supply aligns with broader efforts to localize important inputs for batteries, propulsion methods, and mission‑important electronics.
“Intrepid, Aquatech, and Adionics have joined forces to develop the Wendover Lithium Challenge, which can ship 5,000 metric tons per 12 months of battery-grade lithium carbonate equal (LCE) from Utah’s distinctive potash brine operations,” the businesses be aware, describing the trouble as “an unprecedented convergence of confirmed American useful resource mastery, world-class engineering excellence, and cutting-edge extraction know-how.
Extra data on the Wendover undertaking is accessible from Intrepid Potash’s web site. Additional particulars can be found from Aquatech‘s and Adionics’ web sites respectively.
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Ian McNabb is a journalist specializing in drone know-how and life-style content material at Dronelife. He’s primarily based between Boston and NH and, when not writing, enjoys mountaineering and Boston space sports activities.
