E3 Lithium’s demonstration facility to prove it can produce battery-grade lithium carbonate from oilfield brines at commercial scale is expected to start up in the second half of this year.

The project at the Leduc oil and gas field in Alberta is part of E3 Lithium’s ambitions to unlock new sources of lithium in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin using direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. The so-called Demo Facility seeks to derisk the company’s Clearwater project. During a June 2 news release, E3 Lithium shared progress made on the facility, which will be brought online in phases this year and into 2026.

“The Demo Facility will be one of the few systems of this kind globally to operate at this scale,” said E3 Lithium CEO Chris Doornbos. “It is a significant achievement for E3 Lithium to turn this design into a reality, and a major step forward to see it operate in the very near future.”

The 30-column DLE system and the purification and concentration equipment are fully fabricated and undergoing final checks. The company also has received the sorbent for the DLE columns.

Five specialized skids, considered the heart of the lithium production equipment, are scheduled to arrive and be assembled on site within the next six to eight weeks, E3 said in the release. Skid 1 and Skid 2 will host the 30-columns and the value control for the DLE system, while Skid 3 and Skid 4 host the filtration and purification equipment, the company said. The control center is housed on Skid 5.

After the equipment arrives on-site it will be assembled and then undergo operational, safety and leak checks, E3 said. Phase 1 will begin with the utilization of on-site brine for the commissioning and operation of the 30-column system. Phase 2 involves drilling a production well that will be connected to the 30-column equipment to allow for a live brine feed.

“Operation of a fully integrated system will enable E3 Lithium to optimize the process for factors such as recovery and flow rates and will provide important data for use in the design and costing of the commercial facility,” the company said. “The lithium carbonate produced will be used for customer interrogation and to potentially begin pre-qualification.”

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