Abstract:

Summit Nanotech's denaLi™ direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology combines its proprietary North American-made eLivate™ sorbent with a sequenced column approach to deliver an optimal balance of lithium recovery, impurity rejection, and water and energy efficiency, driving the lowest levelized cost of lithium (LCOL) production.

The denaLi™ system is designed as an advanced simulated moving bed (SMB) with novel sequencing that enables simultaneous adsorption and elution, continuous operation, optimized mass transfer, and efficient sorbent utilization. This approach results in >98% lithium recovery, >95% TDS rejection, and only 7 m³/t-LCE make-up water.

To validate these outcomes beyond the lab, Summit built an in-house demonstration system in Santiago, Chile, informed by its 2025 field deployment in Northern Chile. Processing just 20–30 m³ of a customer's field brine, the Santiago system generates all parameters needed to design a commercial plant. This paper will showcase results from a recent in-house trial of a South American brine and illustrate how customers can mitigate project risk, optimize full-flowsheet CapEx and OpEx, and build investment confidence without the need for an on-site demonstration facility.

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Mrs. Kate Wymbs