Company launches new lithium extraction technology in the US

FILE PHOTO: A portable and fully automated direct lithium extraction plant owned by International Battery Metals is seen in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S., May 23, 2023. REUTERS/Ernest Scheyder/File Photo

HOUSTON: International Battery Metals (Ibat) says it has launched its version of a novel type of lithium filtration technology, a move that could help usher in cheaper and faster supplies of the electric-vehicle (EV) battery metal.

At a site in rural Utah controlled by privately held US Magnesium, Ibat said last week it has started its own direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology and aims to ramp up production to an annual rate of nearly 5,000 tonnes within four weeks. Both companies declined to provide the current production rate.