Concentrating lithium without a thermal penalty.

The challenge

A lithium resource developer needed a low-energy, cost-effective way to concentrate lithium in produced water from 680 to 13,000 mg/L as part of a direct lithium extraction (DLE) process.

The solution

GP Water designed an integrated nanofiltration–reverse osmosis–osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (NF–RO–OARO) process.

The design was evaluated using detailed mass and energy balances, with lithium tracked through all process streams. Cost estimates were built bottom-up from major-component bills of material, supplier quotations, and accumulated project-procurement experience.

The result

The design projected greater than 99% lithium recovery at a permeate cost below $1/m³ – less than 25% of the estimated cost of conventional thermal concentration.