Does anyone have any information on if there is a proven viable method for lithium extraction from clay.

Last I heard I think Cypress and Lilac had almost cracked the code:

Two Firms Collaborate to Tackle Challenges of Extracting Lithium from Clay
News Update

Source: Streetwise Reports (7/17/19)

The company with a Nevada lithium mine eyes commercial production, never done before with this geology.

Cypress Development, Clayton Valley

Cypress Development Corp. (CYP:TSX.V; CYDVF:OTCQB; C1Z1:FSE) announced in a news release it achieved high lithium recoveries at its Clayton Valley project in Nevada using Lilac Solutions' extraction processes.

"Lilac's results are promising , and [the company] offers us another path forward to effectively recover lithium from our process solutions," Cypress CEO Dr. Bill Willoughby said in the release." Lilac is an Oakland, California-based lithium extraction technologies firm.

Clayton Valley features clay-hosted lithium, which is difficult to extract and, therefore, lithium has not been produced commercially from clay resources before. Cypress and Lilac are tackling these technical challenges.

In collaboration, the two companies have developed the following approach to lithium extraction from clay. Cypress first applies its own process that reduces the amount of sulfuric acid needed to leach lithium. A sulfate solution results.

Lilac then uses its patented ion exchange process to extract lithium from the sulfate solution and produce a high-purity lithium solution. That solution can then be fed into conventional processing equipment to produce high-purity lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.

In recent testing, Lilac recovered 83% of lithium from Cypress' sulfate solution while concurrently eliminating more than 99% of sodium, potassium and magnesium impurities.

After Lilac's process, Cypress can again run the sulfate solution through the leaching stage to recover remaining lithium from it.

Next, Cypress and Lilac plan to do the engineering work necessary to advance the Clayton Valley toward a pilot plant and commercial development. Cypress is now working to complete a prefeasibility study that incorporates Lilac's process.

"Cypress has established one of the largest lithium resources in the United States and Lilac is excited to work with the Cypress team to move this domestic resource towards commercial production," said David Snydacker, CEO and founder of Lilac Solutions. "The United States is home to a variety of important players in the electric vehicle sector and is an epicenter for innovation. This Nevada project has the potential to deliver the critical raw material needed by every North American automaker to compete over the next decade."

I think this will be a great advantage for INR if a company has managed to produce commercial grade lithium from clay as we are stockpiling our clay. Would be an icing on the cake if it has already been proven and INR are working it in with DFS engineering plans.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

TIA