ILiAD+ dramatically enhances lithium extraction efficiency, reducing costs and impurities, with successful tests on complex geothermal brines like Salton Sea.
ILiAD Technologies has officially introduced ILiAD+, a patent-pending enhancement of its established Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) platform, marking a transformative step in lithium recovery technology. ILiAD+ brings significant gains in both impurity rejection and cost-efficiency, offering over 85% improvement in impurity removal and boosting the lithium-to-sodium equivalent ratio by more than sixfold. These improvements hold substantial implications for reducing both capital and operating expenditures in lithium extraction projects.
The ILiAD+ system specifically targets persistent post-DLE impurities—including boron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and manganese—that have traditionally necessitated costly downstream processes such as ion exchange systems, clarifiers, and heavy chemical usage. With ILiAD+, the requirement for reagents like lime, hydrochloric acid (HCl), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is significantly reduced. Additionally, waste byproducts such as sludge are minimized, contributing to both environmental and economic benefits.
By simplifying the downstream purification stage, ILiAD+ is expected to reduce overall capital and operational expenses by 10% or more. This efficiency is particularly crucial in making the production of battery-grade lithium more scalable and cost-effective, a critical step in meeting the growing global demand driven by electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.
The improved DLE process has already demonstrated success with geothermal brines from California’s Salton Sea, where ESM ATLiS—ILiAD’s sister company—is developing Project ATLiS, a 22,000-ton-per-year lithium hydroxide production facility. The brine from this area is known for its high complexity, and ILiAD+’s strong performance in this setting indicates that the technology has the potential to be deployed successfully across a wide range of global lithium resources.
Samuel Moore, CEO of ILiAD Technologies, emphasized the critical value of selective lithium recovery in modern DLE processes. "Our goal has always been to optimize lithium extraction while rejecting as many impurities as possible. ILiAD+ achieves a remarkable leap forward in both respects, raising the bar for the entire industry."
Echoing that sentiment, Derek Benson, COO of ESM, described the ILiAD+ performance as "stunning" and noted that the outcomes surpassed even their most optimistic expectations. “For developers like us, ILiAD+ represents a true breakthrough in lowering total facility costs and enhancing project feasibility.”
Looking ahead, ILiAD Technologies plans to extend ILiAD+ testing to other lithium-rich brines across the U.S. and internationally. Moore added, “Geothermal brine is often among the toughest resources to extract from. If ILiAD+ can perform here, we are excited about what it can achieve in other environments.”
ILiAD Technologies, LLC, a privately held company specializing in direct lithium extraction (DLE), operates in affiliation with EnergySource Minerals (ESM). The company offers licensing of the ILiAD Technology Platform—a proprietary, patented innovation that integrates an advanced lithium-selective adsorbent with a continuous countercurrent bed processing system. This unique combination enables the efficient concentration and treatment of a wide array of lithium-rich brines across diverse environmental and operational conditions.
