Ann: Quarterly Activities Report - December 2021, page-28

I"m not aware of them/us owning/having any patents for our process.

They/we may own the IP, but that is very different.

In my experience, there are circumstances where confidentiality and first-mover advantage are far superior to publishing details in patents, for the purpose of "protection". Sometimes it just gives the competition clues on what/how you're doing, and sometimes an opportunity to tweak further and patent variations - can be a problem sometimes! Depends on the subject/tech.
AFAICT it is PA's experience with Li brine processing tech that has allowed the team to tune and tweak a "standard" process to deliver BG from Rincon. Much harder than it sounds though! No need to waste time and money on patents imo - just get on with job, keep the IP in-house and make bank.
That's another benefit of the "family-style" business - less people flow in and out taking core knowledge to others.

BG from an "impossible" salar, at an indicative cost of around $5k per tonne = top shelf.
Keep the IP quiet and get going!