Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Technology
The game changer in lithium production — proven, efficient, and environmentally responsible extraction from geothermal brine.
ILiAD Technology Platform
SW Tech Corp. intends to license and use the ILiAD Technology Platform — a proven technology to process minerals from geothermal brine. The ILiAD platform is uniquely designed to be compatible with all types of brines, and specifically engineered for Salton Sea conditions.
Building on EnergySource's industry-leading ILiAD platform, the ILiAD+ process delivers significant improvements:
- Increases impurity rejection by more than 85%
- Improves lithium-to-sodium equivalent ratio by more than 6x
- Expected to reduce downstream capital and operating costs by 10% or more
- Critical to increasing affordability and scalability of battery-grade lithium production
Validation: The ILiAD+ process was recently validated via piloting on geothermal brine from the Salton Sea. ILiAD's sister company ESM ATLiS is advancing Project ATLiS, a 22,000 tonne/year lithium hydroxide facility that received a $1.3 billion DOE loan.
Technology Benefits
The ILiAD platform delivers industry-leading performance across all key metrics for lithium extraction.
Physical Footprint Savings
10x smaller than hard rock methods and 1,000x smaller than conventional salar operations.
All Brine Sources
Viable with virtually all brine sources, specifically optimized for Salton Sea geothermal brines.
Fresh Water Savings
Up to 9x less freshwater than conventional salar and up to 3x less than hard rock methods.
No Chemical Reagents
Only water is required to strip lithium — no acid or caustic chemicals needed in the process.
Commercially Ready
Proven equipment and design with commercial-scale adsorbent production. Ready for implementation.
6-Year Adsorbent Lifespan
Demonstrated adsorbent lifespan up to 6 years, reducing long-term operational costs significantly.
How DLE Works with Geothermal Co-Generation
A streamlined process that extracts lithium from geothermal brine while simultaneously generating renewable electricity.
Brine Extraction
Hot geothermal brine is pumped from production wells deep underground, rich in dissolved lithium, manganese, zinc, and other minerals.
Flash Steam Generation
Brine and steam are separated in flash tanks. The steam drives turbines to generate clean, renewable electricity (50 MW capacity).
Direct Lithium Extraction
Cooled brine passes through ILiAD DLE modules using ion-exchange resins to selectively capture lithium ions from the brine solution.
Lithium Processing
Extracted lithium is processed into lithium chloride, lithium carbonate, or lithium hydroxide — battery-grade chemicals for the EV supply chain.
Brine Reinjection
Spent brine is reinjected back into the geothermal reservoir through injection wells, maintaining geological balance in a closed-loop system.
Environmental Advantages
The DLE co-generation model represents an environmentally responsible approach to critical mineral extraction, aligned with California and federal clean energy mandates.
- Rapid Processing: Brine to lithium within days, not the months or years required by evaporation ponds
- Minimal Water Loss: Critical advantage in California's arid regions, using only 4% of historical regional water supply
- Low Carbon Footprint: Powered by co-located geothermal energy, dramatically reducing lifecycle emissions
- No Evaporation Ponds: Eliminates massive land disruption typical of conventional lithium mining
- Closed-Loop System: Brine is reinjected, minimizing waste and maintaining geological balance
- Renewable Energy Synergy: Stable, weather-independent geothermal power complements solar and wind
Geothermal Power & Lithium Co-Generation
Integrating lithium extraction with geothermal power creates a synergistic model that maximizes resource use and generates dual revenue streams.
Dual Revenue Streams
Combining lithium extraction with geothermal power creates revenue from both electricity sales and critical mineral production simultaneously.
Stable Energy Source
Geothermal power provides stable, 24/7 weather-independent energy that effectively complements intermittent solar and wind renewables.
Resource Efficiency
DLE integrates directly with geothermal infrastructure, amplifying both resource use and operational efficiency from the same brine source.
Explore Our Project Economics
See how our proven DLE technology and geothermal co-generation deliver exceptional returns with an NPV of $1.2 billion.