South West Arkansas, Arkansas, US (Standard Lithium)

Challenge

Achieving high purity and recovery rates at commercial scale while navigating complex regulatory standards to streamline permitting: the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that the project must reinject brine and sufficiently manage water and chemical handling.

Solution

Fully commercialized, Aquatech’s Li-Pro™ LSS direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology optimizes resource value for the site. It builds on experiential knowledge to utilize regional resources and relationships, in which brine infrastructure is already well-developed, to benefit overall CAPEX and OPEX. Li-Pro™ LSS links upstream and downstream processing, which streamlines processes: the technology has already completed more than 12,000 operational cycles at the site, achieving a 95% lithium recovery rate on average.

Aquatech’s bedrock of experience also translates into world-leading navigation of complex regulatory requirements, deploying a world-class engineering team to develop scalable technology in alignment with permitting and long-term economic viability requirements. Now in a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Standard Lithium Ltd, Aquatech This reduces overall project risk and secures investor confidence.

Result 

Commercial production is on track to commence in 2028. Full-scale demonstration plant operation of Li-Pro™ LSS has revealed the following findings:

• Secured a process guarantee of 95% lithium recovery

• Rejected over 99.4% of key contaminants, including sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and 93.7% of boron.

• Completed more than 12,000 operational cycles

• Processed over twenty million gallons of Smackover brine (as of May 2025).