A new plan from Lilac Solutions will get lithium from the Great Salt Lake using a process that won’t use drying ponds as has been done in the past. (Adobe Stock image)
Lithium is an integral part of our lives, used in rechargeable batteries for electronics and electric vehicles, as well as for manufacturing of specialty ceramics and glass. It’s also used as a medication for mood disorders. But it’s seldom mined here in the U.S., with the largest lithium mine part of a project in Humboldt County, Nevada.
Now an Oakland-based company called Lilac Solutions is developing a process to get lithium from a cheaper and more environmentally safe way — by pulling it out of the Great Salt Lake. The company website says it was made for the GSL, and vice versa. Though the lithium concentration in the lake is relatively low — about 20 times lower than most production being done in South America — company officials say that through its method of returning all water it pumps back into the lake, there is no change in the water’s chemistry aside from lithium removal. That means its water pumping is non-consumptive and doesn’t involve commonly used drying ponds that lower water levels.Lilac also claims it has achieved the ability to unlock scalable lithium production from the GSL. That would help double the nation’s lithium production.
Lithium mining is traditionally bad for the environment because it heavily consumes water, can cause air and water pollution, and negatively impacts local communities and ecosystems. It can deplete groundwater and contaminate water sources with harmful chemicals. Mining also requires significant land use and energy and can cause social conflicts, especially in indigenous communities.
“We have engaged local stakeholders and regulators early and often to ensure that our resource development plans meet the state of Utah’s vision for environmentally responsible lithium production on the Great Salt Lake,” the company said on its website. “The next step for this project involves deployment of a field pilot. Then, we’ll propose to regulators a first phase of commercial production totaling 3,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate by 2026. Ultimately, the lake can support up to 20,000 tonnes per year, which would be part of a future proposal.”
Company CEO Raef Sully said most of the lithium used in the U.S. comes from Argentina and Chile, though it’s processed and refined in China. That nation is the world’s largest consumer of the mineral because of its large electronics and EV industries.
Sully said Lilac has raised about two-thirds of the $250 million needed for the facility on the GSL, hoping to complete the first round of funding by early next year.