@ResourceEagle@MuppetPastorok, wait. let's start from the beginning so that everyone here - including new investors - understands the basics of the process of extracting lithium chloride (LICL). the gradual extraction of lithium chloride from brine via evaporation ponds requires a few steps. at the end of this article you will notice why this is actually a chemical company and why the brine in its current state in the ponds is still completely harmless in terms of ecological aspects. i will now explain what the general process looks like from the brine in the ground to a finished, sellable lithium chloride (licl) product. at the end i will talk specifically about gln.
brine extraction
the brine is usually extracted from a lithium rich source, such as a salt lake and/or underground deposit. to make it easier for you, you can imagine this as a submersible pump that pumps the lithium containing brine into the evaporation ponds. the average quality of the brine is of crucial importance for the following steps. the following steps (evaporation ponds) were designed/built/planned by a pond designer and qualified personnel on the brine. the brine conveyed by pumps contains - depending on its origin - a mixture of various salts, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium chloride and also lithium. in addition, the brine may contain further impurities, which require intensive treatment/filtering in the next steps.
evaporation ponds
as fresh water evaporates from the ponds, the minerals in the concentrate are precipitated into salt crystals, which are harvested periodically and disposed off site. there are often environmental concerns related to the use of evaporation ponds and they are raised due to the subsequent steps, some of which require the use of chemicals to achieve the limits necessary to achieve the desired product quality. the ponds are designed depending on the nature of the brine (usually shallow). installing an impermeable liner is imperative to protect the underlying aquifer. for heavily contaminating or contaminated brines, a double lining is mandatory. in many countries it is essential to install leak detection systems. systems for groundwater monitoring are also required in order to absolutely avoid contamination of fresh water.
in short: the brine is fed into a series of ponds, which are arranged according to the requirements of the brine, in order to start the evaporation process in them with the help of solar radiation. the ponds are flat and arranged over a large area in order to bring as much solar radiation to the surface as necessary. the primary method of water removal is solar evaporation. sunlight heats the brine, causing water to evaporate and leaving behind more concentrated brine.
concentration phase
the brine is passed through different ponds one after the other. each pond has a different concentration, with the last pond having the highest lithium concentration. when the brine evaporates, different salts are precipitated in different ponds/stages. in the first step, sodium chloride is precipitated, in the second step, potassium chloride and in the last step, magnesium or potassium salts. the last pond contains a brine with the highest concentration of lithium chloride. it should be noted that additional impurities generally prevent a further increase in the chloride concentration. purification (higher concentration) can be achieved either by further evaporation or chemical treatment. by adding lime, magnesium hydroxide or other impurities can be removed. additional filtration is also possible. typically, the lithium chloride is then crystallized, often by evaporative crystallization, in which the remaining water evaporates under controlled conditions to form pure lithium chloride crystals. now the lithium chloride crystals are harvested from the pond, dried to remove any remaining water and then packaged and sold. !!! gln does not take this step. they want to sell highly concentrated lithium chloride brine with low levels of impurities !!!
nice to know: careful control of the evaporation and concentration phases is crucial. lithium chloride can be converted into lithium carbonate (li₂co₃) by reacting with sodium carbonate (na₂co₃) in a chemical reactor.
now let's start from the beginning: if the brine in the individual ponds/stages is exposed to intense sunlight for too long, the evaporation process will continue, so that in worst case, salt crystals will form at the bottom of the pond due to the impurities they contain are virtually worthless. i mentioned that you can slow down the evaporation process or control it to a limited extent in different ways. including the use of chemicals. however, this leads to new problems.
to help you understand the extent of these new problems, we come to one of the most important steps - disposal. environmental compatibility and compliance with legal regulations must be taken into account here. it may be necessary for some residues to be stored in specially lined areas to avoid contaminating the aquifer. these deposits should be designed to suit the respective chemical properties. it is also important to ensure that these deposits are constantly monitored in order to prevent environmental damage. hmw is located in a unique ecosystem that must be respected and treated accordingly. neutralizing acidic or basic residues may require the use of chemicals and increase the safety of disposal. the addition of lime or general neutralizing substances is also possible. if the residues are classified as dangerous to the ecosystem, disposal in specially designated landfills may be necessary. the relevant regulations must be strictly adhered to. also with a view to further environmental approvals at additional stages. if residues have already caused contamination, measures such as soil excavation or soil washing may be required. proper documentation and reporting of disposal methods and procedures is critical to regulatory compliance and environmental protection.
hope that this time it was clear why stopping production or slowing it down is only possible to an extremely limited extent - and a science in itself.
(20min delay)