Aquatech has announced the launch of PEARL, a comprehensive technology platform enabling optimized full flow sheet process development and at-scale delivery for the extraction, refining, and purification of lithium.
PEARL (Purification, Extraction and Refining of Lithium) enables the production of battery-grade lithium from a diverse range of feedstock, including hard rock, clay, and continental, geothermal, or oilfield brines.
Reflecting Aquatech’s commitment to full life-cycle partnerships with lithium resource owners, the PEARL technology platform encompasses
- End-to-end integration, including process development, full-scale execution and facilities O&M
- Full process wrap backed by performance guarantees
- Customized, fit-for-resource process technology to deliver desired project outcomes
The PEARL platform takes a fit-for-resource approach, optimizing each process solution to match the unique mineralogy of the resource. Aquatech supports this approach with its industry-leading development, testing, and validation capabilities, built on decades of experience delivering complex process solutions for capital projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
“PEARL is the enabling solution for critical minerals, addressing the industry’s core pain points: fragmented solutions, technical and schedule risk, and long project development cycles. With PEARL, we deliver an optimized full-flowsheet technology solution that is tailored to specific lithium resources, tested and validated in-house, and backed by full-scale delivery with performance guarantees. The result is lower CAPEX and OPEX, higher recovery, and accelerated time to market.”
– Venkee Sharma, Executive Chairman at Aquatech.
The PEARL platform spans three core process technology groups:
- Adsorbent-based lithium extraction
- Eluate/post-leach purification and concentration
- Lithium chemical conversion and refining
Aquatech’s lithium process technology solutions power the world’s foremost lithium projects, from Rio Tinto’s salar brine operation at Hombre Muerto in Argentina to Lithium Americas’ Thacker Pass project in Nevada, USA, which has the largest known lithium resource in North America.
Aquatech enables the world’s most recognized companies to solve complex challenges in critical minerals processing, water reuse, desalination, and minimal and zero liquid discharge. We leverage technological leadership and innovative engineering to accelerate global progress toward solving water scarcity and ensuring critical mineral security.
Our research and development spans membrane manufacturing, performance chemicals, digital service solutions, lithium refining, and all major water & wastewater treatment technology areas. The depth and breadth of Aquatech’s services, technology portfolio and project execution capabilities are grounded in a culture of performance excellence built up over four decades of industry experience, with thousands of facilities using our solutions in over 60 countries.
