Hi ArgylePink, firstly I understand your scientific profession...

Hi ArgylePink, firstly I understand your scientific profession and background in chemical processes, and I agree with your positive sentiment towards Prairie project.

Without being indifferent, the actual DLE process being employed is a sorption technique using a resin most probable made of LiCL:mAl(OH)3nH2O. The desorption and sorption of LiCl is an intercalation-deintercalation process with a brine eluate and pure water (elution eluate), at a pH range between 3 to 8, and temperatures > 50°C. This type of resin has a lower capacity to absorb lithium than ion exchange resins but are more durable since no strong acids (H+ ions) will degrade the resin over time. Both these DLE processes rely on reserve osmosis with the sorption techniques more dependent than ion exchange due to its lower eluate concentration. One of main advantage of the sorption techniques is no change to the brine’s pH (good ESG spec for the return brine) and the neutral LiCl concentrate (>20000 ppm or 10% LCE after cross flow RO). Which is ideal for rail transport from Torquay to the LRC or a process plant in the USA.

It is quite easy to read the past announcements and assume the DLE resin is an ion exchange (Plix) which was original developed by Prairie Lithium prior to AZL acquisition. This resin is still being developed for other projects like the Big Sandy to extraction lithium after acidification of the clay matrix by conventional sulfuric digestion or a biotech lixiviant (Cemvita). Some detail about the possible third party DLE (SLB, Schlumberger) can be found in the JORC sections of announcements.