Schlumberger and Panasonic to Collaborate on New Battery-Grade Lithium Production Process
Schlumberger New Energy and Panasonic Energy of North America, a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, announced today that they have entered into a collaboration agreement for the validation and optimization of the innovative and sustainable lithium extraction and production process to be used by Schlumberger New Energy at its NeoLith Energy pilot plant in Nevada. This collaboration paves the way for improved lithium production solutions that will help meet the expected surge in demand for lithium as the electric vehicle (EV) market takes off worldwide.
NeoLith Energy’s sustainable approach uses a differentiated direct lithium extraction (DLE) process to produce high-purity, battery-grade lithium material while reducing the production time from over a year to weeks. The unique process is in sharp contrast to conventional evaporative methods of extracting lithium, with a significantly reduced groundwater and physical footprint. Panasonic will provide their guidance to validate and optimize the lithium material for battery-grade consumption. Situated in Clayton Valley, Nevada, the pilot plant is just 200 miles from Panasonic’s large-scale advanced battery manufacturing operation, Panasonic Energy of North America, in Sparks, Nevada.
As a global technology company and leader in lithium-ion batteries, Panasonic has a proven track record in innovation and advanced products and solutions that power the automotive industry. Demand for battery-grade lithium is projected to grow exponentially over the next decade. As EVs greatly depend on lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, sustainable and efficient lithium production has become an important topic for regions, industries and technology companies, as well as battery and large automotive manufacturers.
While the lithium industry is expected to attract large investments, the time-to-first-lithium-production for new development projects and regions will be critical for the industry to meet the surge in demand.
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