New technology could unlock lithium in Western Canada

Researchers and companies are testing direct lithium extraction (DLE) to recover lithium from underground brines in Western Canada; lab results and pilot tests have shown promise, but larger-scale demonstrations are still pending.

Researchers and companies are testing direct lithium extraction (DLE) to recover lithium from underground brines in Western Canada, combining lab research and pilot projects. DLE uses chemicals or solvents to separate lithium from salty brine without long evaporation ponds used in places like Chile. Alberta is drawing interest because existing oil-and-gas wells and other infrastructure may be repurposed for brine access, and at least one company has reported pilot success. Experts say the method could reduce land and water impacts but its overall emissions depend on the energy source used. Key developments: - Direct lithium extraction (DLE) targets lithium in very salty underground brines that cannot be left to evaporate, using chemicals or solvents to pull lithium from the water. - LithiumBank holds licences for two Alberta projects and has reported using older wells to access brines; the company says a pilot test produced battery-grade lithium and it is working on feasibility studies and further tests. - A Columbia University research team published lab results for a new solvent that can extract lithium from brine, demonstrating promise at laboratory scale. - A study by Ehsan Vahidi's team compared extraction methods and found DLE uses far less land (about 16 square metres per tonne) than evaporative brine projects (350–600 square metres per tonne) and can return most water to the ground. - The same study noted DLE’s main environmental cost is energy-related emissions, which can be reduced if the process uses low-carbon electricity; Alberta’s grid currently relies largely on gas but also has growing solar capacity. Summary: DLE could expand the types of lithium resources that can be developed in Canada and may lower land and water impacts compared with traditional evaporation-based brine projects, while its emissions depend on the energy used. Researchers have produced lab-scale solvent results and companies have reported pilot successes, and work on feasibility and larger-scale demonstrations is underway. Undetermined at this time.