Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE): the technology accelerating production
It promises to recover more lithium, in less time and with less water than evaporation ponds. Here’s how DLE works and who uses it in Argentina.
Beyond the ponds
Traditional evaporation can take 12 to 24 months and depends on the weather. Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) groups technologies that selectively separate lithium from brine — using adsorbents, resins or membranes — in hours or days.
The potential upsides are large: higher recovery rates, lower water use, a smaller surface footprint and steadier output throughout the year.
DLE in the Puna
Several Argentine projects are betting on DLE. Rio Tinto applies it at its Rincón project (Salta), approved under the RIGI for US$2,724 million, and also in the Fénix expansion. Eramet uses it at Centenario-Ratones. The challenge is still to scale the technology economically in the salty, high-altitude Puna.