“We have been in the process of selecting companies with EDL (Direct Lithium Extraction) technology for nearly two years, and it is a long process that includes several steps, such as pilot tests, technology validation, until the signing of the first agreement that was recently,” the business leader emphasized.
Ramos commented on this as the first milestone for the launch of the international call, on April 30, 2021, to evaluate companies with expertise and technology able to adapt to the properties of brines in Quepasa (Ororo), Uyuni and Bastos Grandes (Potosi), by applying the EDL method.
As he explained, 20 global companies submitted to the call, which ended on May 31, and their proposals were evaluated and verified, and eight companies were selected from them, according to what was published on the YLB website.
In September of that year, the company began signing memorandums of understanding with the eight companies and delivered samples of brine extracted from the three salt flats so that they could conduct experimental testing and apply the proposed techniques.
“On May 16, 2022, and in the presence of the Notary Public – as the CEO said – the results of the experimental tests submitted by Lilac Solutions, Catl Brunp & Cmoc, Citic Guoan / Crig, Fusion Enertech, Tbea Group and Uranium One Group,” it was reported.
After evaluating the proposals, he added, two YLB technical committees issued the final report, with the conclusion that the six technologies evaluated were applicable to Bolivia’s salt flat properties, with a lithium recovery rate between 80 and 90 percent. .
He commented that the evaporation pool method currently recovers 25 percent, while EDL seeks to recover more than 80 percentage points.
The Bolivian State Corporation proposed to the six companies to operate within the context of a sovereign business model, and requested preliminary feasibility studies for the location of the lithium carbonate manufacturing plants.
Once the evaluation was completed, on January 20, YLB signed the first agreement with the Chinese consortium CBC to start the process of installing two industrial plants in the Coipasa and Uyuni salt flats with EDL technology, each with a production capacity of 25 thousand. tons of battery grade lithium carbonate.
“The CBC consortium has already started the above activities and is also working to save electricity and fuel,” YLB reports.
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