Aquatech, a lithium extraction, processing and refinement company, has acquired the direct lithium extraction (DLE) business of Koch Technology Solutions (KTS), a process technology firm.
This includes the Li-Pro™ lithium selective sorption (LSS) DLE technology and the associated IP portfolio.
According to the company, by 2028 it will power 22,500 tpa of lithium production in the Arkansas Smackover.
It claims its Pearl platform will be the only commercially proven, end-to-end flowsheet solution for lithium processing that spans lithium extraction, purification and refining. Its Pearl platform targets the EV battery and utility-scale ESS production markets.
Aquatech says that the lack of a full-service partner has negatively affected European and American production of lithium for battery manufacturing, as Chinese companies have been predominant in the market. It will acquire KTS’ role in the joint development agreement with standard lithium in the smackover formation, where there has been over 12,000 operational cycles using the Li-Pro technology with an average lithium recovery of over 95%.
Dave Dotson, president, Koch Engineered Solutions, said, “Koch Technology Solutions has proven the Li-Pro LSS technology as a successful DLE solution, and the time has come to scale it for the market. Aquatech is uniquely placed to scale this technology and deliver it into projects as a cost competitive, end-to-end process solution, creating significant value for the lithium industry.”
Venkee Sharma, executive chairman, Aquatech, said, “Fragmented technology offerings increase project cost, risk and time-to-market, which has hindered the ramp-up of urgently needed critical minerals production in the Americas and Europe. Bringing Li-Pro into the PEARL technology platform solves this pressing industry need by offering the only proven full flowsheet solution that encompasses both upstream and downstream lithium processing technology.”
Image: Aquatech has acquried KTS’ DLE business. Credit: Aquatech.
