Agreement with Energia Minerals (Italia) Srl To Test DLE & Crystallization System on Italian Geothermal Lithium Bearing Brines
(24 February 2022, Manchester UK) - Watercycle Technologies Ltd (‘Watercycle’ or ‘the Company’), a deep tech company focused on developing sustainable, high-yield, low-cost, mineral extraction, and water treatment systems, has signed an agreement (‘the Agreement’) with Energia Minerals (Italia) (‘Energia’) Srl, a subsidiary of ASX listed Altamin Limited, to produce lithium carbonate from its Galería EL geothermal brine projects in the Lazio Region of Central Italy.
Watercycle’s patented Direct Lithium Extraction and Crystallisation (‘DLEC’) process is proven to selectively extract lithium from sub-surface waters/brines. Currently being piloted in the South West of England in tandem with Cornish Lithium, the system can treat a wide range of water types and deliver dramatic reductions in costs, carbon emissions and water consumption compared with DLE current processes.
Under the terms of the Agreement, Watercycle will test brines extracted from Energia’s borehole in Italy to understand their composition, fabricate dedicated membranes, process a quantity of the brine using its DLEC technology, and analyse the resulting lithium-rich solution and the de-lithiated brine. The final stage, which is a key differentiator compared to standard DLE solutions, will see Watercycle process the lithium-rich solution to produce lithium carbonate salts that can then be characterised to gather structural and chemical information as well as the chemical purity and recovery rate of the lithium salt. If successful, the two parties will explore the potential for initiating large scale pilot testing in Italy.
Watercycle CEO Dr Seb Leaper said, “We are delighted to be working with Energia, which has recognised the potential of our unique approach to lithium extraction from brines. This agreement is a further validation of our proprietary membranes and processes, which are gaining increasing traction both nationally and internationally. As each brine has different characteristics, our development model is focused on testing multiple brines to further prove the efficacy of our technology and ability to deliver local, sustainable, and cost-effective supplies of lithium and other critical minerals required for the green energy transition.”
Watercycle co-founder and CTO Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim added, “Our technology has taken years of development both within the University of Manchester and now within Watercycle, the vehicle that is advancing its development and implementing the commercialisation strategy. As well as partnering with lithium brine developers, we are also accelerating work focused on the extraction of multiple critical minerals including cobalt and graphite from spent batteries and the utilisation of our processes in desalination. I look forward to announcing further progress as we rapidly develop the business and deliver commercial, sustainable solutions to the mineral extraction market.”
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About Watercycle Technologies - www.watercycletechnologies.com
Watercycle, spun out from the University of Manchester and backed by business accelerator Aer Ventures, is an innovative, sustainability-driven deep tech company focused on developing high-yield, low-cost mineral extraction, and water treatment systems. Its advanced innovative membrane distillation-crystallisation (‘MDC’) technology is capable of treating highly concentrated water and is initially being utilised in lithium production from sub surface water and brines, as well as lithium-ion spent battery recycling, particularly relevant with regards to the current global transition towards a Circular Economy. The Company is operating from the world class facilities at the Masdar Building at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre in Manchester, enabling the team to conduct critical R&D in state-of-the-art laboratories. Watercycle has a strong ethics-based business model that delivers profitable commercial solutions that are also focused on sustainability, environmental protection, and remediation.